Canadian film director, born in Kapuskasing, Ontario on August 16, 1954. He moved to the United States in 1971 and graduated from California State University with a physics degree. His first film job was as the art director, miniature set builder and process projection supervisor on "Battle Beyond the Stars" in 1980, and he directed his first movie, "Piranha II: The Spawning", one year later.

Cameron hit it big with his next film, 1984's "The Terminator", and all of his movies since then have been immensely successful, including "Aliens", "The Abyss", "Terminator 2: Judgment Day", "True Lies", and "Titanic", for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director. He has a reputation as a monstrous perfectionist--most of his cast and crew tend to despise him by the time shooting is over, but they nearly universally praise his directing ability. Cameron's attention to detail pays off with gigantic box office returns, cutting-edge special effects, and usually outstanding performances from his actors.

Cameron has been married five times, to Sharon Williams, Gale Anne Hurd, Kathryn Bigelow, Linda Hamilton, and Suzy Amis.

From what I hear, he's actually done some minor astronaut/cosmonaut training because he hopes to get to visit the International Space Station someday...