The pioneering work of Bermuda-born Earl Cameron was celebrated in a special retrospective season at London's National Film Theatre during September.

These days, when the sight of a Caribbean actor or TV personality is commonplace, it might be hard to imagine that not so many decades ago only one black actor was a known name in British theatre, film, TV and radio. That such tributes are usually reserved for actors who are no longer with us is testimony to the enduring contribution of Cameron, now 85 years old and still working.

A dedicated member of the Bahá'í faith since 1963, Cameron attributes his success and influence to the fact that he's been careful with his choice of roles, turning down what he calls 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' parts in favour of black characters with a degree of nobility and intelligence.

Cameron had no ambition to be an actor. Bored with the kitchen porter job he was doing, his career began with a walk-on part in a West End musical Chu Chin Chow in the 1940s. He caught the acting bug, took speech and singing training and became a regular fixture in repertory companies with roles in more than 70 productions over five years.

In 1951 he made his screen debut in the Ealing drama, Pool of London in which he played a Jamaican sailor on shore leave who befriends a white girl. This was the first British film to show, however tentatively, a mixed-race relationship.

Cameron's most famous screen roles were in two films that confronted racism in Britain—Sapphire (1959) and Flame in the Streets (1961). He also became a familiar face on television in such cult favourites as Danger Man, Doctor Who and The Prisoner.

On Monday 16 September, Pool of London was screened to a full house at NFT2 after which Earl Cameron answered questions from the audience about his life and work. He also chose to show a clip from one of his films of which he is especially proud—The Message (1976), a biopic of the Prophet Muhammad.

Cameron played the Abyssinian king Annajashi who welcomed Muslims into his land recognising their religion to be identical at source with Christianity. Cameron's fundamental belief in the unity of races and religions was evident in his presentation and in his continuing choice of roles.

The warmth of the ovation he received at the National Film Theatre is an indication of the high regard in which he is still held by the industry and audiences alike. RW

Earl Cameron, fifth from left, with family and friends at the NFT