James Cameron Bags Golden Globes Top Director Award for 'Avatar'

Popular film director James Cameron got the best director award at the Golden Globes Sunday for his blockbuster movie 'Avatar'. In 1997, Cameron was a recipient of the same award for the classic film 'Titanic', the highest grossing film in history.

The movie has been hailed as a cinematic milestone for its use of specially developed 3-D cameras and motion capture technology. Accepting the award, a delighted Cameron said he had been expecting to lose out to ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow, who had been nominated for her powerful Iraq war drama "The Hurt Locker."

"I'm unprepared. Frankly I thought Kathryn was going to get this," Cameron said. "But make no mistake I'm very grateful." Cameron is a Canadian film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, and inventor.

His major works include:The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), True Lies (1994), Titanic (1997), and Avatar (2009).

Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada, the son of Shirley, an artist and nurse, and Phillip Cameron, an electrical engineer. He grew up in Chippawa, Ontario and attended Stamford Collegiate in Niagara Falls.

His family moved to Fullerton, California in 1971. Cameron studied Physics and English at Fullerton College and California State University. He worked as a truck driver after dropping out of school after seeing Star Wars on film.

He entered the film industry by making a science fiction script with two friends entitled Xenogenesis. They raised money and invested in camera and equipment to make the script into a 35 mm movie.

It was his first experience in movie-making.

(original article appeared @ Digital Journal )