LONDON: Earl Cameron, who broke down racial barriers by becoming one of British film's first black stars in the 1950s, has died at the age of 102, his family said Saturday

The Bermuda-born Cameron appeared in the 1951 hit "Pool of London", notable for being Britain's first major film to feature an interracial relationship.

He had a minor role in the 1965 James Bond film "Thunderball" and appeared in Sidney Poitier's 1973 movie "A Warm December".

While Cameron remained relatively unknown outside Britain, his death prompted a string of tributes from actors and politicians.

The Guardian newspaper called him "Britain's first black film star".

Cameron, who arrived in Britain in 1939 and started out as a stage actor in London's West End, said in 2017 that he never saw himself as a pioneer.