| NET WORTH: | $ 700 Million |
|---|---|
| Source of Wealth: | Director |
| Born: | August 16, 1954 |
| Spouse: | Suzy Amis (2000 - present) |
| Children: | 4 |
| Birth Name: | James Francis Cameron |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.87 m) |
James Cameron is the creative force behind films such as The Terminator, Aliens, Rambo II, The Abyss, Terminator 2, True Lies, Titanic and Avatar. He has an estimated net worth of $700 million. His movies in United States alone has earned more than $1.9 billion in total.
Career
James Cameron is an award-winning film director best known for science-fiction films. He is a critically acclaimed film director known for some of the biggest box-office hits of all time. James Cameron's biggest box-office success came from directing the blockbuster film “Titanic” earning more than $1 billion and “Avatar” earning $2.7 billion alone. The critically acclaimed “Titanic” received 14 nominations while Avatar received 9 Oscars nominations and ended up winning three. Cameron also received 3 nominations for Golden Globe Awards, winning 2. He has also received many nominations at BAFTA Awards for the same movies.
The first big break of Cameron’s career was when he did “Terminator”. He was the one who wrote the script and sold it to a colleague, so he could direct it. Eventually, it was a box office success worldwide exceeding the expectations of many executives who were at first hesitant about his capability. The said movie was one of the two movies of Cameron selected by US for preservation at National Film Registry.
Cameron took a sharp turn in his film career when he made Titanic. Titanic was one of the most expensive movies Cameron has ever made which got him in trouble for over budget. Despite the controversies this movie has got into, it became the critically acclaimed the highest grossing film of all time worldwide and held this epic position for 12 years. It’s the second film selected by the US for preservation at the National Film Registry.
Following the success of this movie, after its 12-year reign as the highest grossing film of all time Cameron’s “Avatar” swiped off Titanic from its position earning $2.7 billion against Titanic’s $1 billion dollar gross. Cameron is already working on its sequel Avatar 2, which he planned for a release in December 2021.
Early Life
James Cameron is the eldest of five siblings. He once worked odd jobs like working as a truck driver and a janitor. Writing has always been Cameron’s hobby. He writes during his free time. Cameron enrolled in community college and studied Physics but eventually left after he switched subject to English. Cameron has always been inquisitive about special effects and anything related to film technology. So right after seeing Star Wars movie, he quits his odd jobs to enter film industry.
Learning as they went, writing, directing and producing his own film according to him felt like a surgeon having his first surgical operation.
“A director’s job is to make something happen and it doesn’t happen by itself. So you wheedle, you cajole, you flatter people, you tell them what needs to be done. And if you don’t bring a passion and an intensity to it, you shouldn’t be doing it” – James Cameron.
His journey was never easy. He started at smaller positions like production assistant, miniature model maker, production designer and then art director, special effects director before he was given an opportunity to become a director for a major film.
Relationships
Cameron got married five times. He was first married to Sharon Williams from 1978 to 1984. After his divorce from Williams, a year later, he married a film producer, his colleague Gale Anne Hurd but eventually got divorced in 1989. After Hurd, he was then married to a director Kathryn Bigelow from 1989 to 1991. Two years later, he married an actress from “Terminator” series Linda Hamilton and gave birth to Cameron's first daughter, Josephine Archer Cameron. The couple later married in 1997, but separated 18 months later amid rumors of an affair between Cameron and actress Suzy Amis. But rumor has it he married his fifth wife Suzy Amis in 2000. They eventually had 3 children together.
Legacy
Aside from filmmaking, Cameron is also an Environmentalist. He promoted environment awareness and advocacy of veganism. Apart from his success in his career, Cameron maintained a low profile. He later Co-founded various production companies; Lightstorm Entertainment, Digital Domain and Earthship Productions.
This, allegedly demanding and difficult to work with director, was idolized and admired by many other directors in the industry for his approach in 3D filming.
“Pick up a camera. Shoot something. No matter how small, no matter how cheesy, no matter whether your friends and your sister star in it. Put your name on it as director. Now you’re a director. Everything after that you’re just negotiating your budget and your fee.” – James Cameron
Cameron's work made a great impact in the Hollywood film industry. Cameron gained praises for his great passion for his work. His perfectionism and attention to detail has inspired a lot of actors and directors in the film industry.
