Also, I’ve been saving my love and appreciation for Earl Cameron for when he would celebrate his 103rd birthday this summer, but I was very sad to learn he passed away earlier today. Bermuda-born Earl was one of the first black actors to become a film star in the UK, breaking the colour bar with actors like Cy Black and others. I mentioned his gem of a cameo in “The Sandwich Man” the other day, but he achieved fame in “Pool of London” (1951) and other fine films of the decade, bringing rich dimensioned characters to strong storylines that actors of colour deserved but didn’t always get.
You may also know him as the Abyssinian King in “The Message” (1976), or even as a fine TV character actor in the 60s, most memorably or most often in “Doctor Who,” “Emergency Ward 10,” and for me as the variations of the astute, reliable ally to John Drake in “Danger Man” or as the Supervisor to Anton Rodgers’ No. 2 in “The Prisoner.” But no matter the part, Earl always brought his beautifully lilting, commanding voice and gently masterful expressions to every role, often bringing the earliest postcolonial pushback to a still complacent but changing Western setting, a bright light that will be much missed but still enjoyed - may he rest in heavenly peace :’) Xo
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