Who directed The Terminator (1984)?

James Cameron directed The Terminator (1984).

Cameron also co-wrote the screenplay with producer Gale Anne Hurd. The project grew from Cameron's interest in a relentless mechanical killer and his earlier work in visual effects and low-budget filmmaking.

The film helped establish Cameron as an important action and science-fiction director. He later directed Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which continued the story with a larger budget, more advanced effects, and a changed role for Arnold Schwarzenegger's character.

Some viewers associate Cameron mainly with later blockbusters such as Titanic and Avatar, but The Terminator was the work that first made him internationally prominent. Its success also helped turn the franchise's ideas about artificial intelligence and time travel into enduring popular-culture references.