Ten Things You Should Know About "Titanic" Creator James Cameron

After winning his Oscars for the blockbuster movie "Titanic" (now being released in 3D), director James Cameron, quoting a well-known line from the movie, said he felt like "the king of the world." We're not sure he was joking. But what else would you expect from the creator of two of the biggest-grossing movies ever ("Titanic" and "Avatar")? Here are some things you might not know about him:

His First Feature Film Didn't Make A Splash

Cameron's always been fascinated by the sea and its inhabitants, so it's no surprise that the first feature movie he directed was about killer fish. "Piranha II: The Spawning" spun a tale of a scuba diver and a biochemist who stumble across some really nasty creatures below the surface. Cameron himself acknowledges the movie's limits, saying it was best seen at "a drive-in with a six-pack of beer."

He's Got Good Movie Intuition No one at Orion Pictures thought that "Terminator" would make much money. Maybe that's why they spent only $6.5 million on it. But Cameron had faith in the movie, and in future Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger. The sci-fi flick ended up making $78 million.

He's A Multi-Tasker Before filming "Titanic," Cameron took a submarine to the ship's wreckage and filmed it. (The footage was shown in the movie.) And on the way down, he wrote dialogue for the movie.

Not Everyone Loved "Avatar" Although Cameron's animated movie about gentle blue creatures facing ecological devastation is the highest grossing film ever, at least one unlikely movieger wasn't happy with it. Neil Diamond called it "Dances With Pocahontas In Space."

He Loves Walking Down The Aisle Cameron has been married five times: to Sharon Williams (1978–1984), Gale Anne Hurd (1985–1989), director Kathryn Bigelow (1989–1991), and "Terminator" star Linda Hamilton (1997–1999). His marriage to Hamilton broke up (and cost him $50 million) after he had an affair with his present wife, "Titanic" actress Suzy Amis. That union seems to be working.

He's Got At Least One Project Outside Hollywood Cameron and his wife Suzy (at left) are co-owners of Childspot!, an early-childhood center in Wichita, Kansas, that's owned by Suzy's sister Rachel.

He Doesn't Like George Bush Cameron is a Canadian native but has lived most of his life in the U.S. He thought about becoming a citizen, but withdrew his application after George W. Bush was elected President in 2004.

He's Got A Unique Management Style When filming on dry land, Cameron has been known to use a nail gun to nail the crew's cell phones to the wall. That way, they wouldn't ring any more. Couldn't he just have taken out the batteries?

He's A Real Joker Cameron, never known for sentimentality, called "Titanic" his multimillion-dollar "chick flick." As for his star, Kate Winslet, he called her, according to various reports, either "Kate Whines A Lot" or "Kate Wants A Lot." She probably has some good names for him, too.

He Went To The Bottom Of The Sea--By Himself In March of this year, Cameron took the one-person submersible vehicle Challenger seven miles down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, a part of the Pacific Ocean that is the deepest. He photographed the ocean floor and said it was a "gelatinous flat plain." We'll take his word for it.