Caledon Nathan Hockley (often shortened to Cal, 1882-1929, age 47) is Rose's fiance and the main antagonist of Titanic. He was supposed to have married Rose DeWitt Bukater when they arrived in Philadelphia, yet her hatred for him and her romance with Jack Dawson kept them apart. He was able to pay for the whole trip due to his wealth. He was however abusive both physically, emotionally, and psychologically. He was also extremely arrogant and snobbish, and an attempted murderer when it became publicly obvious that Rose was in love with Jack and not him. He is 30 years old at the time of the sinking of the Titanic. Cal died after shooting himself in the head because of his financial problems during the Stock Market Crash of 1929. He is portrayed by actor Billy Zane.
Character History[]
Early Life[]
Caledon Nathan Hockley was born in 1882. He is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is unknown who his mother was, but his father was Nathan Hockley, who was a steel tycoon from Pittsburgh. He was tall, standing at 6'½" (1.84 m). He was known to have traveled to England where he met Rose and her mother Ruth DeWitt Bukater. Ruth arranged a marriage between Rose and Cal despite Rose's dislike towards him and they were to marry in Philadelphia after their voyage on Titanic. Not much else is known about his early life
Boarding of the Titanic[]
Cal eating breakfast with Rose In 1912, Cal boarded the TitanicwithRose DeWitt Bukater, his fiancée, and her mother, Ruth. Cal, Rose, and Ruth were going to Philidelphia, PA, so Cal and Rose could be married. They set up in a luxury room where he made fun of Rose's taste in art but she ignored him and continued talking to her maid/friend Trudy. However, he interrupted them and began to flirt with Rose (much to her disgust). was oblivious to this, and at one point, Rose tried to commit suicide in order to avoid the arranged marriage. However, she was stopped by a 20 year old third class boy whom she saw earlier on the ship, Jack Dawson, who convinced her not to kill her self. Upon arriving at the scene, Cal thought that Jack tried to rape Rose, but she was able to make him believe that she had slipped and was saved by Jack (as she didn't want Cal to know that she tried to kill herself). Cal prepared to take her back to his room, but another high-class man said that he should give something in return for Jack's good deeds. He was going to give him a $20 bill, but Rose was disgusted by this. To impress her Cal, she invited Jack to dinner instead, which Jack agreed to.
Titanic Disaster[]
"I always win, Jack. One way or another." Throughout the movie, as Jack and Rose fell in love, Cal remained oblivious, however his bodyguard, Spicer Lovejoy, began to suspect something going on between the two. Jack, Rose, Ruth along with Thomas Andrews and Cal went to dinner. However, after time he began to realize that Rose had in fact fallen in love with Jack rather than himself (despite their difference in social classes). Cal found a drawing of a nude Rose who left him a tormenting note along with the drawing. Cal arrested Jack for supposedly stealing the Heart of the Ocean(the expensive necklace Cal had given Rose as a gift) and had him chained to a pole to keep him away from Rose. Once Jack was carried away, Cal slapped Rose, but before he could continue, he was ordered to go to a lifeboat (as the iceberg had hit by this stage). When the lifeboat's were preparing to leave, Ruth said that she didn't want the lifeboat's to be too crowded to which Cal laughed. Cal also said that he should have kept Rose's drawing as it would be worth a lot more the next day. At that point Rose's hatred for Cal grew. When Ruth told Rose to get into the boat, she said "Goodbye, mother" and left. Cal stopped her and said "You would be a whore to a gutter rat?". Rose said "I'd rather be his whore than your wife". She spat on him to get away and managed to save Jack.
When the Titanic began to sink, Cal was determined to help Rose escape. Jack tried to convince Rose get onto Lifeboat 2, but she was determined not to go. Despite her hatred for him, she took the jacket that Cal was wearing that he gave her, both of them forgetting about the necklace in its pocket. Cal convinced Rose to go by saying that he had made an arrangement, and all three of them, Cal, Rose, and Jack, could board the boat. Rose goes onto the lifeboat, but after realizing that Jack wasn't going to be joining them, she jumps back onto the sinking Titanic in order to stay with him.
Cal, the suave yet cruel hearted antagonist of Titanic. Cal became enraged by this, took Lovejoy's gun and chased the two throughout the ship in an effort to shoot them. The gun quickly ran out of bullets, and he gave up his pursuit. He tried to get back on a lifeboat after making a deal withWilliam Murdoch, but Murdoch threw the money back in his face. When he reminded him of the deal, Murdoch replied, "Your money can't save you any more than it could save me." Murdoch unintentionally ended up shootingThomas Ryan and an unknown passenger much to Cal's shock. Murdoch then killed himself with the gun. Cal then stole a child and was allowed to board a lifeboat after passing the child off as his own.
The boat he was on became trapped, but was freed when Jack's friend,Fabrizio, cut it loose. A few minutes later Cal witnessed Fabrizio get crushed under a steam stack. While on the lifeboat, he accepts a sip of whiskey from another passenger.
Afterwards, he desperately searched for Rose while on the RMS Carpathia but could not find her and believed she had died in the shipwreck, although she had actually escaped and was avoiding him, by hiding in a blanket. However, Jack had died of hypothermia at this point. Rose watched Cal as he searched for her and saw him walk away. It was the last time she ever saw him.
Cal chasing Rose and Jack.
Later life and death[]
Later in life, Cal married someone else and inherited his family's millions. However, in the Stock Market Crash of 1929, Cal fell into financial ruin and committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth. His children later fought over the scraps of his estate like hyenas as claimed by Rose.
Search for the diamond[]
In 1993, treasure hunter, Brock Lovett began a hunt for the heart of the ocean but was unsuccessful for 3 years. In 1996, Hockley's room was discovered and his safe recovered but the diamond was not there. However, Brock found the drawing of Rose that Hockley put in the safe. Rose at age 100 (101 the next month) saw it on TV and went to the ship to discuss the events of the sinking.
After telling her story, Brock was still unsuccessful with finding the diamond and due to low funds it was time to pull out. Brock then said that he didn't care anymore because Rose's story had put him off. However, it was revealed that Rose actually had the diamond the whole time. It was put in the coat Hockley gave Rose by accident on the Titanic, and she kept it throughout her life which she then threw into the ocean.
In an alternate ending to the movie, Brock would've seen Rose and along with Lizzy (her grand daughter), they would come down to her but Rose would have threatened to drop the diamond if they came any closer. Rose revealed that she didn't sell it despite being so poor because she thought of Hockley and wanted to make it through life without his help so she kept it as a reminder of this mission. Brock would have been allowed to hold it for a few seconds before Rose threw it into the ocean. Brock stopped looking for it after that.
Behind the scenes[]
In the film, he is portrayed by Billy Zane.
Caledon and Hockley are two small towns near Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, where James Cameron's aunt and uncle live.