Cameron, James (1954- )

Canadian writer, director, and producer. He is own for his big-budget, futuristic science-fiction thrillers, such as The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), and The Abyss (1989), as well as for his hugely successful historical drama Titanic (1997).

He founded his Lightstorm Entertainment production company in 1992 and co-founded Digital Domain, a special effects company, in 1993. Other films include Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (1991), and True Lies (1994).

He was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada, but moved with his family to California in 1971 and later attended California State University at Fullerton, majoring in physics. He worked odd jobs before launching into a filmmaking career, inspired by the film Star Wars (1977). After working as a production designer in 1980 he directed his first film, Piranha II: The Spawning (1981), which was a critical and commercial failure. Cameron decided to try his own hand at screenwriting, and his first success was the cult science-fiction hit Terminator (1984), which established the acting career of Arnold Schwarzenegger.