Cameron, James (1954- ) Canadian-born film director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his big-budget, science-fiction and action films.Born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Cameron became fascinated with film and special effects as a teenager. After moving to California with his family in 1971, he broke into the film industry as a miniature set builder and art director at New World Pictures, an independent film company. His directorial debut was the low-budget horror film Piranha II: The Spawning (1981). Although highly forgettable, the film showed sparks of Cameron’s technical genius and obsessive perfectionism.
Cameron’s breakthrough film, which launched the career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, was The Terminator (1984), an apocalyptic thriller about a robotic hit man. The film was a critical and commercial hit. It established Cameron’s trademarks of strong female characters, comic irony, and thrilling special effects, as well as his recurring themes of nuclear holocaust and technological threat.
Cameron continued working on science-fiction action films, including Aliens (1986), the sequel to the 1979 hit, Alien, and The Abyss (1989). The latter film, which takes place under the ocean, involved the construction of a mammoth underwater set and used several technological innovations designed by Cameron. The dangerous and technically challenging shoot confirmed Cameron’s reputation as a demanding taskmaster. Its groundbreaking visual effects earned the film an Academy Award. Although The Abyss was a box-office disappointment compared to his two previous efforts, Cameron more than made up for it with the staggering success of his next film, the sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).
Titanic (1997) will undoubtedly be remembered as one of Cameron’s most spectacular achievements. The film, which depicts the fateful last days before the Titanic sank, swept the 1998 Academy Awards, winning 11 awards including best picture and best director. The film represented a departure for Cameron: Although it was recognized for its digital wizardry, particularly in the climactic scene when the ship goes down, beneath the epic drama and special effects is a classic story of doomed lovers.
