James Cameron

18 films directed 17 Awards 5 Nominations

Biography

James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a classical filmmaking style. Cameron first gained recognition for writing and directing The Terminator (1984), and found further success with Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), and True Lies (1994), as well as Avatar (2009) and its sequels. He directed, wrote, co-produced, and co-edited Titanic (1997), winning Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing. He is a recipient of various other industry accolades, and three of his films have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Cameron co-founded the production companies Lightstorm Entertainment, Digital Domain, and Earthship Productions. In addition to filmmaking, he is a National Geographic explorer-in-residence. He has produced many documentaries on deep-ocean exploration, including Ghosts of the Abyss (2003) and Aliens of the Deep (2005). Cameron has also contributed to underwater filming and remote vehicle technologies and helped create the digital 3D Fusion Camera System. In 2012, Cameron became the first person to solo descend the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the Earth's ocean, in the Deepsea Challenger submersible.

Cameron's films have grossed over $8 billion worldwide, making him the second-highest-grossing film director. Three of Cameron's films are among the top four highest-grossing films of all time; Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and Titanic (1997) are the highest, third-highest and fourth-highest-grossing films of all time, respectively. Cameron directed the first film to gross over $1 billion, the first two films to gross over $2 billion, and is the only director to have had three films grossing over $2 billion. In 2010, Time named Cameron one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Cameron is also an environmentalist and runs several sustainability businesses.

Most directed genres

Recurring actors

Awards and nominations

2024 Disney Legends
2023 Academy Award for Best Picture Nominated
2023 Golden Globe Award for Best Director Nominated
2013 Nierenberg Prize
2013 Hubbard Medal
2012 Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame
2010 California Hall of Fame
2010 Academy Award for Best Director Nominated
2009 Golden Globe Award for Best Director
2008 Canada's Walk of Fame
2004 Hans Hass Award
1998 Academy Award for Best Picture
1998 Academy Award for Best Director
1998 Academy Award for Best Film Editing
1998 Academy Award for Best Film Editing Nominated
1997 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
1987 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
1986 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay
1986 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay Nominated
— Directors Guild of America Award
— Companion of the Order of Canada
— star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

The career in numbers

US$ 1.6 bi Total budget from 12 film(s) with data
US$ 10.3 bi Total box office from 11 film(s) with data
US$ 130 mi Average budget from 12 film(s) with data
US$ 936 mi Average box office from 11 film(s) with data
7.3 Average rating from 13 film(s) with data
6.6× Return on investment from 11 film(s) with data

Budget and box office do not exist for every film in our records. Averages are computed over the films that carry the figure, and the count beside each one says how many.

Films directed

Film	Year	Budget	Box office	Rating
Avatar 5	2031	—	—	—
Avatar 4	2029	—	—	—
Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)	2026	US$ 20 mi	US$ 27 mi	8.5
Avatar: Fire and Ash	2025	US$ 350 mi	US$ 1.5 bi	7.6
Avatar: The Way of Water	2022	US$ 460 mi	US$ 2.3 bi	7.6
Avatar	2009	US$ 237 mi	US$ 2.9 bi	7.6
Aliens of the Deep	2005	—	—	6.1
Ghosts of the Abyss	2003	US$ 13 mi	US$ 17 mi	6.8
Expedition: Bismarck	2002	—	—	7.2
Titanic	1997	US$ 200 mi	US$ 2.3 bi	7.9
True Lies	1994	US$ 115 mi	US$ 379 mi	7.1
Terminator 2: Judgment Day	1991	US$ 102 mi	US$ 518 mi	8.2
The Abyss	1989	US$ 43 mi	US$ 90 mi	7.4
Martini Ranch: Reach	1988	—	—	3.5
Aliens	1986	US$ 19 mi	US$ 183 mi	8.0
The Terminator	1984	US$ 6 mi	US$ 78 mi	7.7
Piranha II: The Spawning	1982	US$ 145,786	—	4.3
Xenogenesis	1978	—	—	5.0

Directors