LONDON • Earl Cameron, one of the pioneering black actors to work in the British film industry, died last Friday, according to USA Today. He was 102.

He was best known for playing supporting roles in iconic films such as Thunderball (the 1965 James Bond movie) and Inception, the 2010 sci-fi drama directed by Christopher Nolan. He also starred in the sci-fi series Doctor Who in 1966.

The actor's death was announced in The Royal Gazette, a local newspaper in Bermuda, where he was born. He was reported to have died in his home in Warwickshire, England.

According to his British Film Institute biography, his acting career started as a means to earn more during World War II. He continued working in the industry after the war.

He trained under the granddaughter of Ira Aldridge, an American who became a renowned Shakespearean actor in England. However, he was often limited to stereotypical black roles, such as a witch doctor and a murderous rebel leader in British Kenya.

He later acted in many major Hollywood and British films, such as The Interpreter (2005), with Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn, and The Queen (2006), with Helen Mirren.

Cameron was named a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2009 for his contributions to British entertainment by Queen Elizabeth II.