Age: 55
Occupation: Writer, filmmaker, producer, explorer
Previous TIME 100 Appearances: 0
Twelve years after he accepted an Oscar for helming the highest-grossing film of all time, Cameron released a movie that topped his own box-office record and, oh yeah, changed moviegoing forever. The first film to assert 3-D technique as genuine artistic device, Avatar didn't just entrance audiences around the world; it altered the way Hollywood studios thought about making and marketing blockbusters. In its aftermath, studios are battling for space on the nation's limited 3-D screens, 2-D franchises are being scrapped so they can be upgraded and theater chains are investing more than $600 million in a race to revamp 2-D-only venues.