Actor Earl Cameron Receives Honorary Degree

January 26, 2013

[Updated with photos] Earl Cameron has received an honorary degree from Warwick University in recognition of a lifetime’s achievement. The 94-year-old Bermudian actor was presented with the title Honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) at Wednesday’s Winter Degree Ceremony in the UK.

Mr Cameron making an acceptance speech to a crowded Butterworth Hall at the University:

earl cameron award

Mr Cameron’s career spans more than a half-century and includes dozens of stage, TV and film credits. Born in Bermuda in 1917, he moved to Britain prior to World War Two and after a career on London’s West End stage made his film debut in 1950 — becoming one of the first black actors to star in a British movie.

Mr Cameron flanked by son-in-law John, wife Barbara and daughters Serena and Jane:

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By the mid-1950s Mr. Cameron was an established star in the UK and he worked steadily in movies, the theatre and in television. He co-starred with Sean Connery in the  007 blockbuster ”Thunderball” playing Pinder, head of the British Secret Service’s Bahamas outpost. More recently he portrayed African dictator Edmond Zuwanie in the 2005 thriller “The Interpreter” alongside Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn and had a featured role in the Leonardo DiCaprio science fiction epic “Inception” in 2010.

Mr Cameron outside after receiving his honorary degree:

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In 2009 Mr Cameron was named as a Commander of the British Empire for services to the dramatic arts, and in 2012 the City Hall Theatre was renamed in his honour.

- Photos courtesy of Martin and Jane Beckett

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Comments (5)

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  1. Voter says:

    Wow! What a great article about a very accomplished gentleman.

  2. Moonbeam says:

    —- a well deserved reward for Mr Cameron

  3. Judge Dredd says:

    Congratulations Mr. Cameron.

  4. Serena Cameron says:

    Thank you very much Voter, Moonbeam and Judge Dredd. I have passed on your kind and warm words to my father Earl Cameron. He is very grateful. :-)

  5. Regina Yates says:

    Heartfelt congratulations Earl –
    to tell the story of how we met …
    We met Earl Cameron and one of his daughters in the Solomon Islands when we sailed there in the late 1980′s. We stayed in Honiara for about six months. We were filming a series of documentaries for world television.
    Earl Cameron was one of my ‘most memorable characters’ – a man in millions – warm hearted, generous and welcoming. He ran a tiny ice cream vending outlet at the local market in Honiara and we asked him if he would introduce a special film we were asked to produce for the Solomon Island Government.
    His remarkably beautiful and deep voice and and his delivery were incredibly touching. He ad-libbed the story of the second world war and the affect it was still having in The Solomon Islands. We were in the outdoor Museum where the government had a large collection of munitions and weapons that were still being dug out of the jungle. It was being kept as a reminder of the war against the Japanese. Ever Tuesday at Lunga Point, they took live bombs which were still being found all around the islands and there, blew them up.

    I have been trying to find Earl for a long time through the internet and finally seeing this article, I was overjoyed – I am thrilled for you, Earl and your family.

    We went on to Fiji after leaving the Solomon Islands and built a television channel there for local people.
    I would love to hear from you / the family – please do contact me if you feel so inclined.
    Again, warmest congratulations and wonderful memories from Regina, Kerry and Carly … blessings to you and your family.