James Cameron
James Cameron was born in Kapuskasing in 1954 and grew up in
Niagara Falls (Chippawa). In 1971, he moved to California where he
studied physics at Fullerton Junior College while working as a machinist
and, later, a truck driver.
Cameron quit his trucking job in 1978 and raised money from local
dentists to produce a 35mm short film. The visual effects in this film led
to work on Roger Corman's “Battle Beyond the Stars” (1980). In 1983
Cameron wrote three scripts: “Rambo: First Blood Part 2”, “Aliens”, and
“The Terminator”. He directed “The Terminator” (1984) and “Aliens”
(1986) and then wrote and directed “The Abyss” (1989). Following that
he wrote, produced, and directed “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991),
“True Lies” (1994), “Titanic” (1997), & Avatar (2009). His films have
blazed new trails in visual effects, set numerous performance records,
and earned many prestigious nominations and awards.
James has been an avid scuba diver since 1969, and in 1995 made 12
manned-submersible dives to the Titanic. The technical success of that
expedition fueled his desire to bring the experience of deep ocean
exploration to audiences around the world. He turned to documentary
filmmaking and formed Earthship Productions to develop films about
ocean exploration and conservation.
As an explorer, Cameron has been equally fascinated by outer as well as
inner space. He is currently a co-investigator on the Mars Science
Laboratory (MSL) Mastcam, which will be the first 3D motion imaging
camera to operate on another planet, when it begins its exploration there
in 2011. Cameron served on the NASA Advisory Council for 3 years.
Cameron is also continuing to develop a number of ocean projects, and
other environmentally themed documentaries.