Tributes paid to Doctor Who and Bond actor Earl Cameron
The Bermuda-born British actor starred in the likes of Thunderball, A Warm December, and Inception.
Tributes from all over the world have been paid to the late Earl Cameron, one of the first black actors to forge a successful career in the British film and TV industries, who has died at age 102.
The Bermuda-born British actor starred in the likes of James Bond film Thunderball and Doctor Who, in addition to Sidney Poitier's film A Warm December, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, and later in Inception, co-starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
US filmmaker Ava DuVernay (When They See Us) has paid tribute to Cameron on Twitter, describing him as a "British screen legend" who "left much beauty for us".
Actors Paterson Joseph and David Harewood have both taken to Twitter to mark Cameron's death. Joseph wrote that the Thunderball actor was a "giant man" whose "pioneering shoulders are what my generation of actors stand on".
Harewood added that Cameron, who was made a CBE in 2009, was a "total legend".
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Cameron, who played Pinder in Thunderball opposite Sean Connery's 007, also appeared in 'The Tenth Planet' in Doctor Who.
David Burt, the Premier of Bermuda, said he was "deeply saddened to hear of the passing of iconic Bermudian actor Earl Cameron".
Cameron's children said in a statement, "Our family have been overwhelmed by the outpourings of love and respect we have received at the news of our father's passing.
"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."
The late actor's other television credits included the likes of The Dark Man, Lovejoy, Danger Man, Dixon Of Dock Green, The Zoo Gang, and The Prisoner.
In 2017, Cameron told The Guardian in an interview, "I never saw myself as a pioneer. It was only later, looking back, that it occurred to me that I was."
He continued, "Unless it was specified that this was a part for a black actor, they would never consider a black actor for the part. And they would never consider changing a white part to a black part.
"So that was my problem. I got mostly small parts, and that was extremely frustrating - not just for me but for other black actors. We had a very hard time getting worthwhile roles."
