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James Cameron |
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James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian film director noted for his American action/science fiction films, which are often completed behind schedule and over budget but compensate by being extremely successful financially. Thematically, James Cameron's films generally explore the relationship between man and technology.
Professional career
James Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada, the son of Phillip (an electrical engineer) and Shirley Cameron (an artist). He grew up in Chippawa, Ontario, but his family moved to Brea, California in 1971. There he studied physics at Cal State-Fullerton but was only ever interested in movie work. He started as a screenwriter, and went on to do art direction and effects work (on Battle Beyond the Stars and Escape from New York, for example, working with producer Roger Corman) before landing his first directorial job for Corman in 1981 on the film Pirahna 2. Shot in Italy Cameron ended up being fired and having a physical breakdown. While recovering from this Cameron had the vision for The Terminator that he managed to get produced through his partner and then wife Gale Anne Hurd.
After the cult hit of The Terminator Cameron and Hurd signed with Fox to make Aliens producing a major hit on a small budget. Cameron's next film The Abyss secured the biggest budget to that time and was a breakthrough in effects technology but was cut by the studio and poorly received by audiences.
Cameron is known for the breakthrough work he expects from his special effects (FX) crews, beginning with The Terminator (the special effects of which, while somewhat dated today, were quite advanced upon the film's release in 1984; this is even more remarkable given the low budget of the film). The special effects in Terminator 2: Judgment Day made extensive use of computer-generated imaging (CGI), and won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Cameron's Titanic in 1997 made use of both CGI and a variety of sets of different scales, and also won a Visual Effects Oscar. Titanic was notable also for being the most expensive film made to that point, and for recouping that investment by becoming the biggest box-office hit in film history. Among the film's record-tying 11 Oscars were three for Cameron, as director, producer and editor.
The appeal of his films has led to constant speculation of his involvement with super-hero adaptations. Starting in the late 1980s, Cameron's name was always attached to various attempts on super hero movies, such as with X-Men, Hulk, and Spider-Man. In fact, there was a point where Cameron was going to direct Spider-Man based on a script that would've matched him up with a corporate Electro. Obviously, that project never came to fruition. Most recently, Cameron was still in the running to direct the next Superman movie, yet that ended up going to Bryan Singer.
His latest projects have been undersea documentaries on the Titanic and the Bismarck.
As of now, Cameron is planning to make a Battle Angel Alita movie, a project he has been hinting at for years. Also, Cameron has mentioned that he plans to create a 3-D project about man's first trip to Mars. The status and date for either projects is unknown at this point.
He has been married five times, including to Kathryn Bigelow (1989–91) and Linda Hamilton (1997–99). His current wife is Suzy Amis, whom he married in June 2000.
Films as director
- Piranha II: The
- Spawning (1981)
- The Terminator (1984)
- Aliens (1986)
- The Abyss (1989)
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
- True Lies (1994)
- Titanic (1997)
- Dark Angel (2000 series)
- Ghosts of the Abyss (2002) (documentary)
- Aliens of the Deep (2005) (documentary)
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