James Cameron and Linda Hamilton divorced after 1 year, 11 months of marriage. The settlement was reportedly about $50M. See the full timeline.
Figures are reported estimates. Last updated Oct 2026.
Hamilton received $50M from the Titanic director's newfound wealth.
James Cameron, the director of The Terminator, Aliens, Titanic and Avatar, and Linda Hamilton, the actress who played Sarah Connor in the Terminator films, met while working on The Terminator in 1984 and became a couple soon afterwards. They married in July 1997, shortly after the release of Titanic's production and after having their daughter, Josephine, in 1993. Hamilton had been a star of action cinema, and Cameron was one of the most ambitious directors of his time.
Cameron's wealth came from directing some of the highest-grossing films in history. Titanic (1997) grossed more than $2 billion worldwide, and his share of the profits was enormous. He later directed Avatar (2009), which became the highest-grossing film of all time, and its sequels. Hamilton earned fees from the Terminator films, and her fame came largely from her role in the series. The vast majority of Cameron's wealth, however, was earned after the couple's marriage and mostly after their divorce.
The couple married in 1997 and separated in 1999 after only about two years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in 1999, a short time after Titanic's release in December 1997, which made Cameron one of the most successful directors in history. He later married Suzy Amis in 2000, who had appeared in Titanic, and they have had three children together. Hamilton remained a prominent actress and returned to the Terminator series in 2019.
The settlement was reported at around $50 million, which made it one of the larger payments of its time. Some reports suggested that Hamilton received a share of the proceeds of Titanic, though the details have never been confirmed. The couple agreed on arrangements for their daughter. The size of the sum was linked to the success of Titanic, which had made Cameron wealthy in the months before the divorce.
Titanic's success meant that Cameron's future income was extremely high when the divorce was filed. Because of California's community property laws, the profits of the film were considered partly marital assets, even though the marriage was short. Cameron's lawyers also had to take into account the fact that Hamilton's early career had supported his rise. The result was a payment that was large compared with the length of the marriage.
Cameron's career flourished after the divorce. Through his company Lightstorm Entertainment he directed Avatar and its sequels, and became a major figure in deep-sea exploration, diving to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 2012. His net worth later reached the hundreds of millions of dollars. Hamilton continued to act, appearing in Terminator: Dark Fate and in television drama.
The Cameron and Hamilton case belongs with the Spielberg and Irving divorce as an example of a very large settlement for a short marriage. Both involved directors whose greatest financial success came shortly before or after the marriage ended. Cameron's later marriage to Amis has lasted for more than two decades.
Cameron wrote the screenplay for The Terminator after a feverish dream, and he and Hamilton had a relationship before the film was finished. Hamilton was married to Bruce Abbott from 1982 to 1989. Cameron's first wife was Gale Anne Hurd, producer of The Terminator. The $50 million figure is reported in the press, but the true sum is unknown.
Linda Hamilton's reported settlement was about $50 million.
They married in 1997 and divorced in 1999, a marriage of roughly 2 years.
No prenuptial agreement was reported.
Yes, the family is reported to include 1 children.
Reported assets include: Malibu estate, Titanic royalties, Lightstorm stake.
Titanic's success meant that Cameron's future income was extremely high when the divorce was filed. Because of California's community property laws, the profits of the film were considered partly marital assets, even though the marriage was short.