James Cameron biography

Titanic

Mixing martial issues with undercover spies, Cameron wrote and directed True Lies (1994), starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film made it to No. 1 at the box office, grossed more than $378 million worldwide,

and received an Oscar nod for its visual effects. Cameron then began a massive undertaking with his story Titanic, a movie about star-crossed lovers (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) trapped aboard the doomed Titanic ocean liner. To recreate one of the greatest disasters at sea, Cameron had a special studio built in Mexico, which featured a 17-million-gallon water tank and 775-foot replica of the Titanic.

The film cost nearly $200 million to make, and was plagued with problems and delays. Many in the industry expected the film to tank just like its namesake, but Cameron proved the skeptics wrong. Opening in December 1997, the film received critical raves and strong ticket sales. Titanic became the first film to earn more than $1 billion and landed 14 Academy Award nominations. For his work on the film, Cameron took home three Oscars—for Best Director, Best Best Film Editing, and Best Picture. In 1999, he divorced Linda Hamilton and married actress Suzy Amis, who appeared in Titanic, in 2000.

Continuing to be fascinated by the Titanic story, Cameron worked with his brother, Mike, to create new technology to film the undersea wreck of the infamous vessel. The result was the 3-D IMAX documentary Ghosts of the Abyss (2003). Two more documentaries followed in 2005: Volcanoes of the Deep and Aliens of the Deep.

Avatar

Again revolutionizing the world of special effects, Cameron returned to making feature films with Avatar (2009). The film explores the conflict between American forces and the native population on another planet. Sam Worthington played an American soldier who switches sides to help the Na'vi people, and falls in love with one of them (played by Zoe Saldana).

Avatar quickly surpassed Titanic at the box office. It has also earned Cameron a number of accolades, including Golden Globe wins for Best Director and Best Motion Picture - Drama. For the Academy Awards, Avatar has been nominated in nine categories, including Best Picture and Best Director. Cameron is facing some stiff competition from his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow who has been nominated for her work on The Hurt Locker.

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