Earl Cameron

credit bbc earl cameron bermuda actorBorn in Pembroke, Bermuda on August 8th 1917, Earl Cameron is one of Bermuda’s most successful actors, as well as one of the first black actors to break racial barriers in the United Kingdom.

His career spanned several decades and over sixty films and television programs. Older theatre aficionados may recall him from his numerous appearances on the London stage from the 1940’s onwards as well as various British television shows.

He played the role of Pinder in the 1965 James Bond film ‘Thunderball’ alongside Sean Connery.

Still acting well into his later years, he recently played the African dictator Edmond Zuwanie in the 2005 movie ‘The Interpreter‘ alongside Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn.

As a young man, he joined the British Merchant Navy, and sailed mostly between New York and South America. When war broke out he found himself stranded in London, where he began his acting career.

His first acting role came in 1942 when he talked his way into a part in a West End production of Chu Chin Chow. He went on to act in a number of plays in London, including The Petrified Forest and The Pool of London. His first major film role was in the 1955 film Simba, in which he played the role of Peter Karanja.

You canclick here to watch an interview with Mr. Cameron.

From the 1950s to the present day he had numerous parts in many films including:

  • • The Heart Within (1957) in which he played Victor Conway
  • • Sapphire (1959) in which he played Dr Robbins
  • • The Message (1976) the story of the Prophet Muhammad
  • • Tarzan the Magnificent (1960) in which he played Tate
  • • Flame in the Streets (1961) in which he played Gabriel Gomez
  • • Tarzan’s Three Challenges (1963) in which he played Mang
  • • Guns at Batasi (1964) in which he played Captain Abraham
  • • Battle Beneath the Earth (1967) in which he played Sergeant Seth Hawkins
  • • The Sandwich Man (1966) in which he played a bus conductor
  • • The James Bond movie Thunderball (1965) in which he played Bond’s Caribbean assistant Pinder.
  • • Interpreter (2005) in which he played the fictitious dictator Edmond Zuwanie.
  • • The Queen (2006) he appeared in a cameo as a painter

Click on photos to enlarge:

He has had roles in a wide range of TV shows including:

  • • The Dark Man
  • • Dangerman
  • • The Prisoner
  • • Emergency – Ward 10
  • • The Zoo Gang
  • • Crown Court
  • • Jackanory
  • • Dixon of Dock Green
  • • Doctor Who
  • • Neverwhere
  • • Waking the Dead
  • • Kavanagh QC
  • • Babyfather
  • • EastEnders
  • • Dalziel and Pascoe
  • • Lovejoy.
  • • Television Playhouse (1957)
  • • A World Inside BBC (1962)
  • • The Gentle Assassin (1962)
  • • I Can Walk Where I Like Can’t I? (1964)
  • • BBC’s Wind Versus Polygamy (1968)
  • • ITV’s A Fear of Strangers (1964)
  • • Respectful Prostitute (1964)
  • • ITV Play of the Week – The Death of Bessie Smith (1965)
  • • Theatre 625: The Minister (1965)
  • • The Great Kandinsky (1994)

In 2007 he was awarded the Prospero Award for lifetime achievement by the Bermuda International Film Festival, and in 1999 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. He received the award at Buckingham Palace from Prince Charles.

See an interview with Mr. Cameron outside of Buckingham Palace: