Oscars

James Cameron’s Oscar journey: How many wins and nominations does he have?

James Cameron’s Avatar: Way of Water was nominated for Best Picture at last year’s Academy Awards. How many Oscars has he won?

Maite Knorr-Evans

Maite joined the AS USA in 2021, bringing her experience as a research analyst investigating illegal logging to the team. Maite’s interest in politics propelled her to pursue a degree in international relations and a master's in political philosophy. At AS USA, Maite combines her knowledge of political economy and personal finance to empower readers by providing answers to their most pressing questions.

Update: Feb 27th, 2025 03:32 EST

In the history of the Oscars, one of its greatest protagonists is James Cameron. In this 97th edition to be held in Los Angeles on March 2, he is not nominated, but his legacy is historic.

Follow all the information on the 2025 Oscars

Director James Cameron’s film ‘Titanic’ was his first work to land him an Oscar nomination. Not only did the film staring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio earn him one chance to take home the hefty gold statue but three.... and so he did.

At the 1998 Academy Awards, ‘Titanic’ won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing. More nominations would come years later, but these three awards remain Cameron’s only Oscars.

Less luck for Cameron...

At the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010, ‘Avatar’ earned Cameron nominations in the same three categories, none of which he would take home. That year Best Picture went to Katheryn Bigelow’s ‘The Hurt Locker’ would sweep all three categories.

What nominations did Cameron receive last year?

In 2023, ‘Avatar: Way of Water’ earned Cameron one chance to add another win to his Oscar collection, but in the end it came up short.

The sequel was nominated for Best Picture alongside ‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’ ‘The Banshees of Inisherin,’ ‘Elvis,’ ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ ‘The Fabelmans,’ ‘Tár,’ ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ ‘Triangle of Sadness,’ and ‘Women Talking.’

‘The Fabelmans’ took home a similar prize awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press’ Golden Globes, which tend to be a major indicator of the films that will do well at the Oscars. For example, in 1998, ‘Titanic’ won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama.

More Oscar coverage

Neither Emilia Perez nor The Substance - this is the leading contender for the 2025 Best Picture Oscar