Earl Cameron obit

Earl Cameron Dies: Black Pioneer In British Film And TV Was 102

He was not on the list.

Earl Cameron, who was among the first Black actors to break into significant roles in British film, died on Friday at age 102. His agent confirmed his death and said he “passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his wife and family” in Kenilworth in Warwickshire. 

Born in Bermuda in 1917, Cameron came to the U.K. in 1939 after a stint with the British Merchant Navy. By 1941, he had  his first role, appearing in the stage production of Chu Chin Chow. 

“When I arrived in London, I had no qualifications for anything. It was a period when it was almost impossible for a black person to get any kind of job,” Cameron told the Royal Gazette in a 2018 interview. 

Cameron continued to work in theater, and finally debuted on film in the 1951 crime drama Pool of London. It is believed to be the first British film to portray an interracial relationship. 

He went on to appear in films like Simba, Guns at Batasi, and Safari. In 1965, Cameron had a role as James Bond’s assistant in Thunderball.  

In television, Cameron became a regular on the BBC series The Dark Man. He also appeared on season 4 of Doctor Who, reportedly becoming the first Black actor to play an astronaut on screen. 

His final major role was a small part in the 2010 film Inception. 

Cameron was honored in 2009 when he was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. In 2016, he was inducted into Britain Screen Nation Hall of Fame. 

David Harewood called Cameron a “total legend,” while Paterson Joseph thanked him for laying a foundation for actors today. 

 

Cameron’s children spoke to The Guardian about their father. 

“Our family have [sic] been overwhelmed by the outpourings of love and respect we have received at the news of our father’s passing,” his children said to The Guardian. “As an artist and as an actor he refused to take roles that demeaned or stereotyped the character of people of colour. He was truly a man who stood by his moral principles and was inspirational.” 

Filmography 

Year , Title , Role  

1951 , Pool of London , Johnny Lambert  

There Is Another Sun (or Wall of Death) , Ginger Jones  

1952 , Emergency Call (or The Hundred Hour Hunt) , George Robinson  

1955 , Simba , Karanja  

The Woman for Joe , Lemmie   

Safari , Jeroge (Njoroge)   

1956 , Odongo , Hassan  

1957 , The Heart Within , Victor Conway  

The Mark of the Hawk , Prosecutor  

1959 , Killers of Kilimanjaro , Witchdoctor  

Sapphire , Dr. Robbins  

1960 , Tarzan the Magnificent , Tate  

1961 , No Kidding (or Beware of Children) , Black father   

Flame in the Streets , Gabriel Gomez  

1963 , Tarzan's Three Challenges , Mang   

1964 , Guns at Batasi , Captain Abraham  

1965 , Thunderball , Pinder  

1966 , The Sandwich Man , Bus Conductor  

1967 , Battle Beneath the Earth , Sgt. Seth Hawkins   

1968 , Two a Penny , Verger  

1969 , Two Gentlemen Sharing , Jane's father  

1973 , A Warm December  

1976 , Mohammad, Messenger of God , Najashi   

1979 , Cuba , Col. Leyva  

2001 , Revelation , Cardinal Chisamba   

2005 , The Interpreter , Edmond Zuwanie   

2006 , The Queen , Portrait Artist  

2010 , Inception , Elderly Bald Man   

2013 , Up on the Roof , Grandad