Having been married five times, filmmaker James Cameron is no stranger to romance. It’s evident in the deep romantic connections that play out in his films.
Maybe his excellent storytelling is based on real-life experiences? One thing is for sure — James’s type is the strong female lead we see in his productions.
Could he really handle being married to Sarah Connor?
When he was just 18 years old, driving lorries and on his journey to being one of the greatest filmmakers of the 21st century — James Cameron was in love with Sharon Williams.
They were high school sweethearts and eventually got hitched.
Not much is known about this relationship, but James and Sharon were reportedly married for six years, from 1978 to 1984.
Their divorce was filed the same year that Cameron directed his first hit film, ‘The Terminator.’
According to sci-fi movie fans, the main character, Sarah Connor, was inspired by the director’s first wife.
About a year after James and Sharon split up, he found love in successful producer Gale Anne Hurd.
Gale just so happens to be a scriptwriter executive producer of ‘The Terminator’ and ‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day.’
The creatives met on set, and given the timeline of events, that’s where they fell in love too! They tied the knot in 1985 and were married for four years.
During Cameron’s marriage to Hurd, his now-former wife produced two more of his films.
The first was the sci-fi blockbuster ‘Aliens,’ starring Sigourney Weaver. The second movie was the highly rated underwater adventure of ‘The Abyss.’
The same year that James and Gale divorced, he met his third wife. Boy, this filmmaker sure has a lot of love to share — and there are still two wives to go!
Staying on theme with marrying creatives in his field, the filmmaker fell in love with fellow director Katheryn Bigelow.
Their relationship didn’t last very long, and after two years of marriage, the pair called it quits.
Interestingly, after meeting him, the director’s wives would excel in their careers.
Not because they were married to the famous James Cameron — but because being married to one of the most innovative filmmakers of the 21st century is an opportunity to learn and grow
—especially if they are in the same field! Interacting with his genius mind helped Cameron’s ex-wives improve at what they do!
In 2010, Bigelow became the first woman to get an Academy Award for Best Director.
She also faced off against her ex-husband at the same awards event for Best Picture and beat him. She bested him in two categories in one night!
The tension of an awards race could impact how people view each other, but the former couple stayed on excellent terms throughout the process.
1991 was a defining year for Cameron. That year, he directed the second installment of ‘The Terminator’ franchise and met his fourth wife on set.
After wrapping up the film's production, the director and his star, Linda Hamilton, coupled up.
The pair soon started living together and, in 1993, welcomed their daughter — Josephine Archer Cameron.
Four years after growing their little family, James and Linda said, “I do.”
While Linda may have been one of the filmmaker’s longest relationships, their romance quickly fell apart after getting married.
Cameron and Hamilton had plenty of strife in their relationship, which apparently started before tying the knot.
All the former couple’s issues came to light in 1997, when Hamilton discovered that her former husband was cheating on her.
James had an affair with Suzy Amis, who was also married then. The former actress and model played the granddaughter of the older Rose.
However, guilt sent him back to the mother of his child, and so the filmmaker tried to make things work with Linda.
It seemed the problems in this marriage were never-ending, and Cameron struggled to deny his feelings for Amis.
In 1999, he officially divorced Hamilton to be with his now-wife.
Although she had a broken heart, Linda did not leave the marriage empty-handed. She walked away with a $50 million settlement.
Her split from James also didn’t stop the former pair from working together again.
In 2019, the ex-couple collaborated to create ‘Terminator: Dark Fate.’ James continued to be the movie producer while Linda returned as Sarah Connor.
The year after his divorce, James married his ‘Titanic’ lover.
Though, unlike the ship and its namesake film, the director’s relationship with Suzy is unsinkable.
The lovers have been together since marriage in 2000, making their relationship 23 years old! The couple shares a son, James Quinn, and two daughters, Claire and Elizabeth.
Cameron once spoke to the Guardian newspaper about his undeniable attraction to his now-wife.
The screenwriter explained that he has a ‘no dating coworkers' rule, so their romance only started after ‘Titanic’ was completed.
The Canadian filmmaker spoke to the same publication about his history with love.
This interview implied that Cameron’s career and his love life are intertwined — because the women he married reflect the personalities of the female stars in his films.
The screenwriter tends to work on films with strong, independent, bad*ss characters, like Sarah Conner — and we already know the inspiration behind her!
The producer’s type of romantic partner ended up being a curse on his love life, but that changed after he met Suzy.
The filmmaker’s explanation left out the reasoning behind what led to his failed marriages — well, aside from infidelity, of course!
Hamilton’s account described their marriage as a life filled with paranoia and faulty power dynamics.
The person I’d seen on set came back to life – we’re in his environment, and I didn’t have much of a say-so,” the actress added.
Although Linda dished some details on life while married to James, her account is in no way a reflection of all the director’s relationships.
Still, it gives us an idea about why the strong, independent lady archetype can be difficult for a man like James Cameron.
Regarding the affair, Linda explained that work and women always go hand in hand for her ex-husband.
The blonde added that ‘Titanic’ was one of the most painful moments in their former relationship, but not because Cameron was having an affair.
Their former couple had allegedly been taking a break from each other, so as far Hamilton was concerned, her then-partner was free to do as he wished.
His experience with Linda wasn’t the only time James’s style of directing reflected badly in his personal life.
The filmmaker’s children once held an intervention about how he parents them.
James has a no-nonsense style as a director, and he admitted to the Hollywood Reporter that it was a hard habit to shake at home.
According to the director, his children were upset because their dad was never around half the time, but when he did come home, he tried to make up for his absence by ordering them around.
After the family meeting, the screenwriter recognized that he had been unfair.
In fact, the experience was eye-opening — and would partially inspire the plot of his latest blockbuster, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’
The filmmaker considered using an artistic approach to figure out how to father his five children.
Quick side note: James recently filed to adopt his daughter’s best friend.
Let us know in the comments if you want to know more about how he and Suzy help those around them! Back to the story…
The 68-year-old drew from his own experiences to make his ‘Avatar’ sequel.
In the end, however, Cameron is a man who knows how to keep the people in his life happy. There are no hard feelings between the filmmaker and his ex-wives.
He is known to reunite with them and their children at Hamilton’s house in Malibu for Christmas.
Even though James Cameron experienced four divorces, his heart did, indeed, go on.
He’s not just innovative with his films, but the Canadian is doing his best to improve his personal life as well.
All of Cameron’s experiences, up until his 23rd anniversary with Suzy, have taught us that following our hearts can be a hit or miss —
but putting in the effort to keep loved ones happy is always a win.