James Cameron thinks marriage is a "learned art".

The Titanic filmmaker has been married five times and admits that he has only found happiness since tying the knot with his fifth wife Suzy Amis in 2000.

Cameron - who has previously been married to Sharon Williams, film producer Gale Anne Hurd, director Kathryn Bigelow and Terminator star Linda Hamilton - told the In Depth with Graham Bensinger podcast of being five times wed: "Let's contextualise that. That's a fact, but let's look at the fact that I was also married four times for less than a year - actively married.

"There was always a little bit of a long sort of decay curve through separation and divorce, but actively married, cohabiting for one year, four times. So I wasn't very good at it."

The 71-year-old director continued: "And now I've been married happily and have earned that happiness, which you find out that you have to work at it for 25 years, and going strong and looking forward to the next 25 years. So, I think it's a learned art."

Cameron expressed the view that people shouldn't stage lavish weddings and instead "put all that effort and energy" into ensuring they are happy with their partner.

The Avatar filmmaker explained: "Because you're constantly learning about the other person. I think you have to make a pact with yourself to actively want to make them happy.

"Not your version of what should make them happy, but what actually makes them happy."

Cameron also admitted that he has been "the common denominator" in his four previous divorces.

The Oscar-winning director said: "Linda Hamilton and I hung for a long time, long, long after we probably should have. We were together for seven years.

"And we loved each other, we just didn't get along, and when you realise that that's possible - that you can really love somebody but just not get along, not cohabitate, not coexist."

Cameron added: "I fall in love with people I can learn from. So I fell in love with somebody that I admired greatly.

"I admired Gale greatly. I admired Kathryn greatly. I admired Linda greatly, but I think I didn't pre-select well enough for people that could stand me, that I could stand them. Everybody's got their habits and their ways."