Cameron was born to Shirley and Phillip Cameron on August 16, 1954, in Kapuskasing, Ontario.¹⁾

He grew up in Chippawa, Ontario, but relocated to Brea, California, in 1971. In 1825, his ancestors emigrated from Balquhidder, Scotland.²⁾

He attended the Stamford Collegiate School in Niagara Falls, Ontario. After that, he attended Troy High School for secondary school before enrolling in Fullerton College in 1973, but dropping out in 1974.³⁾

He was a science fiction fan as a youngster and aspired to be one of Hollywood's most prolific filmmakers.⁴⁾

Do you know that before achieving success in movies, he worked as a truck driver, a writer, and so on?⁵⁾

After seeing the original Star Wars picture in 1977, he quit his truck driving job to pursue a career in movies.⁶⁾

He considered the prospect of fusing science and art, and wrote a 10-minute science-fiction script named Xenogenesis with his buddies. This 35 mm film assisted him in landing a position with New World Pictures.⁷⁾

His fortunes altered in 1984 when he created and directed “The Terminator,” a science fiction picture starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a robot. The film was a critical and economic success.⁸⁾

During the filming of Piranha II: The Spawning, he became unwell and had a nightmare about an unstoppable robot, which inspired the Terminator.⁹⁾