James Cameron

In 1983, JAMES CAMERON wrote three scripts: Rambo: First Blood Part II, Aliens and The Terminator. He directed The Terminator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and it became an unexpected box-office hit. He subsequently directed Aliens, then wrote and directed The Abyss. Following that, he wrote, produced and directed Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies and Titanic. He also co-wrote and produced Point Break and Strange Days, produced Solaris and co-created the one-hour television series Dark Angel. He also directed the highest-ever grossing movie, Avatar.

One of Cameron's other passions—archaeology—led him to become executive producer of The Exodus Decoded and producer of The Lost Tomb of Jesus, both award-winning documentaries. His films have blazed new trails in visual effects and set numerous performance records both domestically and abroad. Titanic grossed more than $1.8 billion worldwide and Avatar has grossed more than $2.6 billion worldwide.

Cameron's films have also earned numerous nominations and awards from a variety of organizations, culminating in Titanic's 14 Academy Award ® nominations (a record) and 11 Oscars ® (the most any movie has received), including Cameron's three for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Editing. Avatar received a further nine Academy Award ® nominations. Cameron has been an avid scuba diver since 1969, logging more than 3,000 hours underwater. Seeking to combine his two great passions—diving and filmmaking—he directed The Abyss, which broke new ground in underwater cinematography and lighting. His attraction to the deep ultimately drew him to the Titanic.

In 1995, Cameron made 12 manned-submersible dives to the Titanic in preparation for his feature film. For that expedition, Cameron developed unprecedented filming, lighting and robotic equipment for use in the extreme pressures of the deep. 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, which have included Ghosts of the Abyss, Expedition: Bismarck, Aliens of the Deep and Last Mysteries of the Titanic. Cameron also introduced a digital 3D camera system, which he developed with partner Vince Pace. The goal was to bring back the experience of deep ocean exploration with unprecedented clarity to a global audience.

© 2010 Universal Studios.