Stacee Smith travels to the Caribbean and interviews Earl Cameron CBE actor and race equality campaigner on his life and passions.
For decades the legendary British/Bermudian actor Earl Cameron CBE – who celebrated his 102nd birthday on August 8th 2019 – graced the stage and cinema screens with his presence in films such as Pool of London (1951), Thunderball (1965), The Interpreter (2005) and Inception (2010). He journeyed along a path rarely trodden by black actors of his era, and this summer I had the honour (particularly as a fellow Bermudian) of meeting him and his wife Barbara in their English hometown of Kenilworth, Warwickshire.
As we chatted over coffee in the Holiday Inn hotel lounge Mr. Cameron shared many interesting stories, including those of his early days in the U.K. He told me he arrived in London as a merchant seaman in 1939 at age 22, and that becoming an actor had never crossed his mind. In fact, he longed to return to the nice easy lifestyle in Bermuda, but due to the outbreak of the Second World War that unfortunately was impossible. It then became necessary for Mr. Cameron to find a job in the UK but racism was a blatant obstacle: “even the most menial jobs weren’t given to black people” he said. As a result, when an actor friend of his told him that a role became available in a play he was in (and one which Mr. Cameron had somewhat jokingly expressed an interest in joining), he seized the opportunity, and after a brief introduction to the director he was on stage that same night. “Could you believe it?” he said reflecting on the spontaneity of it all. “I got through that first scene, and that was my introduction to show business.” He said it was not only a virtual accident, but it was like a means to an end: “It was a way out from washing dishes in hotels, kitchen portering and things like that.”.. Read more