Director/Writer/Producer/Editor JAMES CAMERON was born in Kapuskasing,
Ontario, Canada, and grew up in Niagara Falls. In 1971, he moved to Brea,
California, where he studied physics at Fullerton College while working
as a machinist and, later, a truck driver. In 1978, setting his sights on
a career in film, Cameron raised money from a consortium of dentists to
produce a short film in 35mm. He served as producer, director, co-writer,
editor, miniature builder, cinematographer and special effects supervisor.
In 1980, his work on the short film led to a position at Roger Corman's
New World Pictures on "Battle Beyond the Stars." In the frenzied
world of low-budget guerrilla filmmaking, Cameron found a home on the production
where he could again wear many hats: miniature builder, model unit DP and
matte painter among them. Most importantly, he became the art director of
the picture's main unit and found the energy of the set exhilarating.
Determined to direct, Cameron parlayed his production designer job on a
subsequent Corman film, "Galaxy of Terror," into a stint as second
unit director. When the production fell behind schedule, Corman asked him
to shoot some dialogue scenes with principal cast. Finding the work with
actors exciting, Cameron began preparing a script for himself to direct.
Cameron wrote "The Terminator" in 1982, hoping to couple his effects
and design experience with a low-budget high-impact vehicle that could find
independent financing. After two lean years, Cameron finally brought the
film before cameras as a Hemdale/HBO co-production released by Orion. Though
costing only $6 million, the film received international acclaim, appeared
on numerous 10 best lists (including Time magazine) and made over $80 million
worldwide.
While waiting for financing for "The Terminator," Cameron wrote
two scripts to keep busy. In a three-month period he wrote (with Sylvester
Stallone) "Rambo: First Blood Part II" and "Aliens,"
the sequel to the 1979 science fiction classic "Alien." "Rambo
II" later became an international mega-hit grossing over $250 million
globally.
After the success of "The Terminator," Cameron agreed to direct
"Aliens" and plunged into production in 1985. Shot in England
and released in the summer of 1986, "Aliens" received seven Academy
Award® nominations, including Best Actress for Sigourney Weaver. The
film won Oscars® for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Effects. "Aliens"
became one of the most successful R-rated films of all time, grossing over
$180 million worldwide.
In 1988-89, Cameron wrote and directed his next project, the underwater
epic "The Abyss," which required 18 months to complete. It starred
Ed Harris, Michael Biehn and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and received four
Academy Award® nominations. "The Abyss" blazed a new trail
for visual effects with the creation of photo-realistic computer animation.
It won the Oscar® for Best Visual Effects and grossed $110 million worldwide.
Cameron next co-wrote "Point Break" with Kathryn Bigelow, who
directed. He was executive producer of the film which made over $100 million
worldwide and topped video rental charts for five weeks.
As writer, producer and director of 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgment
Day," Cameron achieved a new high-water mark for action and visual
effects. Building on techniques pioneered in "The Abyss," he worked
with ILM to create computer animated images for this visual tour de force
which came to be known globally as "T2" and earned over $500 million
in worldwide grosses, close to $1 billion with worldwide ancillary revenues.
In addition to box office success, "T2" received six Academy Award®
nominations of which it won four: Best Makeup, Sound, Visual Effects and
Sound Effects Editing. It also received the Ray Bradbury Award for Dramatic
Screenwriting, five Saturn Awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy
and Horror and six MTV Movie Awards. "T2" also won the People's
Choice Award and took honors at the Video Software Dealers Awards and the
first annual Laser Disc Awards.
In 1994, Cameron wrote, produced and directed the action-comedy "True
Lies," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis. The flagship
film for Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment and the first feature with special
effects by his own effects studio, Digital Domain, "True Lies"
grossed over $365 million in worldwide box office. The following year, Lightstorm
presented "Strange Days," directed by Kathryn Bigelow from a screenplay
by Cameron and Jay Cocks. Cameron produced with Steven Charles Jaffe.
Also in 1995, the National Association of Theatre Owners, the same organization
which awarded James Cameron the Director of the Year Award earlier in his
career, presented him with the Producer of the Year Award. In addition,
the Laser Disc Association presented him with the Laser Beam Award for selling
500,000 units of his critically-acclaimed laser discs.
Producer JON LANDAU began a professional relationship with James
Cameron during "True Lies" in his capacity as executive vice president
of feature production at 20th Century Fox. During his five-and-a-half years
in that post, he supervised production on many major motion pictures from
Fox, including "Die Hard 2," the "Home Alone" films,
"White Men Can't Jump," "Last of the Mohicans," "Alien3,"
"Mrs. Doubtfire," "Speed," "Waiting to Exhale"
and "Broken Arrow." Landau was co-producer on "Dick Tracy"
and "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." He produced "Campus Man"
for Paramount. Born in New York City, Landau is a graduate of USC.
RAE SANCHINI serves as Executive Producer of the film and is president
of James Cameron's production company, Lightstorm Entertainment. She served
as executive producer on Lightstorm's other recent productions, "True
Lies" and "Strange Days." Prior to joining Lightstorm in
1992, Sanchini served as an executive at Carolco Pictures Inc. after graduating
from UCLA's JD/MBA program in 1987.
For "Titanic," Director of Photography RUSSELL CARPENTER ,
A.S.C., joins James Cameron for the third time. In addition to the action-comedy
"True Lies," he shot the spectacular multi-media footage for "T2-3D,"
on view only at Universal's Orlando theme park. In contrast to his many
action credits, "The Indian in the Cupboard" revealed an intimate
photographic style developed by Carpenter for the delicacy of the story.
His film credits also include "Hard Target," "Attack of the
50 Ft. Woman," "The Lawnmower Man," "Perfect Weapon,"
"Solar Crisis," the haunting "Lady in White" and the
recent "Money Talks." With Stan Winston directing, Carpenter photographed
the Michael Jackson music video "Ghosts."
Production Designer PETER LAMONT was very happy when Jim Cameron
asked him to take charge of "Titanic," presenting an irresistible
challenge to an already notable career. Earning an Academy Award® nomination
for "Aliens," Lamont's first collaboration with Cameron, he returned
for "True Lies." Mastering the art of combining glamour and action
during the course of 15 James Bond films, his feature film credits include
"GoldenEye," "Licence to Kill," "The Living Daylights,"
"A View to a Kill," "Octopussy" and "For Your Eyes
Only." Lamont also earned Oscar® nods for his work on "The
Spy Who Loved Me" and "Fiddler on the Roof."
"Titanic" marks the fourth Cameron film CONRAD BUFF , A.C.E.
has edited, with "The Abyss," "True Lies" and "T2"
in their history together. He received ACE nominations for "True Lies"
and "T2," the latter also earning him an Academy Award® nomination.
Recently, Buff edited "Dante's Peak," "Species" and
"SwitchBack." His films also include "Jennifer 8," "Jagged
Edge" and "The Getaway."
Editor RICHARD A. HARRIS came onboard for "T2," returned
for "True Lies" and counts "Titanic" as his third collaboration
with James Cameron. He received ACE nominations for "True Lies"
and "T2," the latter also earning him an Oscar® nod. For his
contribution to "Indictment: The McMartin Trial," Harris won an
Emmy, a CableACE and the Eddy Award from the ACE. Selected credits include
"L.A. Story," "The Bodyguard," "Fletch," "The
Bad News Bears," "The Candidate" and "Downhill Racer."
Costume Designer DEBORAH L. SCOTT brings to "Titanic" the
wealth of her film experience and the richness of her research. As comfortable
in period work as she is in contemporary, Scott's films include "Heat,"
"Legends of the Fall," "To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday,"
"The Indian in the Cupboard," "Hoffa," "Defending
Your Life," "Back to the Future" and "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial."
Composer JAMES HORNER last worked with James Cameron on "Aliens,"
for which he received Academy Award® and Grammy Award nominations. They
share an association that began when working together on films for Roger
Corman. Known for his stylistic variety, the prolific composer has scored
more than 70 motion pictures since 1980, including "Apollo 13,"
"Braveheart," "Field of Dreams," "An American Tail,"
"The Devil's Own," "Ransom," "Legends of the Fall,"
"Clear and Present Danger," "Patriot Games," "Casper,"
"Sneakers," "Glory," "Willow," "The Name
of the Rose," "Cocoon" and "48 HRS." A three-time
Grammy Award winner, Horner has also been nominated for five Academy Awards®
and four Golden Globe Awards.
Visual Effects Supervisor ROB LEGATO received an Academy Award®
nomination and a British (BAFTA) Academy Award for his stellar contribution
to "Apollo 13." Previously, he had served as visual effects supervisor
and 2nd unit director on Neil Jordan's "Interview With the Vampire."
Legato earned two Emmy Awards for Best Visual Effects for his work on "Star
Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"
in the varying roles of visual effects supervisor, visual effects producer,
2nd unit and episode director. A graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography,
Legato began his career working on live-action-oriented TV commercials.
Special Effects Coordinator THOMAS L. FISHER has conceived and constructed
some of the most spectacular effects in motion pictures. Quietly, with his
son and partner Scott, Fisher figured out how to repeatedly sink half a
ship weighing over one million pounds.
Another veteran of "T2" and "True Lies," Fisher's non-Cameron
action films include "Batman," "Last Action Hero," "Total
Recall," "Last of the Mohicans," "Blade Runner"
and the "Rambo" film trilogy.
Stunt Coordinator SIMON CRANE believes the 100 stunt people he used
in the tilting poop deck scenes may represent one of the largest stunt sequences
ever filmed. Even his warrior scenes in "Braveheart" were performed
by only 35 stunt personnel. Crane has been the stunt/action coordinator
on "GoldenEye," "101 Dalmatians" and more recently "Saving
Private Ryan." For "Cliffhanger" he was the aerial stunt
coordinator and performer for the daring plane to plane transfer. For "Mary
Shelley's Frankenstein," "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles"
and "Hamlet," he was 2nd unit director as well.
A stunt performer on dozens of films, Crane was stunt double for many leading
actors before making the jump to coordinator. In "Titanic," he
was cast as 4th Officer Boxhall so he could be on deck in the middle of
the action.
Marine Coordinator LANCE JULIAN considers his contribution to "Titanic"
to be challenging although it was supportive rather than primary because
"we were never on moving water." A veteran of "Cutthroat
Island," "The Phantom" and "Waterworld," the New
Zealand-born, Honolulu-based master mariner operated family marine businesses
before lending his skills to motion pictures.
Key Makeup Artist TINA EARNSHAW researched not only the delicate
makeup styles of the period, but worked with doctors and hospitals to study
the effects of hypothermia on the human body for post-disaster sequences
in "Titanic." Earnshaw's film credits include "Hamlet,"
"Jefferson in Paris," "Othello," "Emma," "Surviving
Picasso" and the upcoming "Sliding Doors," starring Gwyneth
Paltrow, and "Cinderella," starring Anjelica Huston and Drew Barrymore.
Key Hair Stylist SIMON THOMPSON has worked on films such as "The
French Lieutenant's Woman," "Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of
Europe?" and "Emma," as well as toured with performers such
as Madonna and Liza Minnelli.
The film's Historian, DON LYNCH , is the official historian for the
Titanic Historical Society. Born in Idaho and raised in the Northwest, Lynch
discovered the story of Titanic as a teenager and began researching the
disaster. In the nearly quarter of a century since, he has met with a number
of survivors and their families and traveled to museums, libraries and archives
throughout the United States, Ireland and England. Lynch is considered one
of the world's foremost authorities on Titanic . Together with Ken Marschall,
Lynch authored Titanic: An Illustrated History .
Visual Historian KEN MARSCHALL is the world's foremost painter of
the Titanic His thirty years of research and familiarity with Titanic s
every structural detail assisted in the accurate re-creation of the film's
sets and miniatures. Marschall's startlingly lifelike images reflect many
years of close study of the ship and are famous for their accuracy as well
as their dramatic artistry. Marschall's work has been featured on the covers
of Time and Life , as well as in National Geographic , Smithsonian and in
Dr. Robert Ballard's best-selling books The Discovery of the Titanic , The
Discovery of the Bismarck and Exploring the Lusitania , and others. His
paintings are prominently featured Titanic: An Illustrated History , on
which he collaborated with Don Lynch. He is also a matte painter and did
the paintings for such films as "The Winds of War," "The
Terminator," "Stand by Me" and many others.
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