17 little-known facts about James Cameron's cult film on its anniversary On October 26, 1984, a low-budget film called “The Terminator” was released in US cinemas, starring a little-known bodybuilder who, 19 years later, became the governor of California. The film also launched the career of director James Cameron: he borrowed money from friends to make a film about a killer robot, and in the late nineties and 2000s he directed two of the highest-grossing blockbusters in history.