Born in Bermuda in 1917, Earl Cameron was one of the first black actors to win leading roles in the British cinema. Arriving in London in 1939 Cameron had various jobs in London and began his acting career with a walk on part in a West End musical. There followed a number of theatrical acting roles, but he had to wait until the mid-1950’s for his big break into feature films. This boxset contains four of his finest performances in films which celebrate his enormous contribution to the big screen during the 1950’s and 1960’s. Simba Cameron's first major film role was in the 1955 film SIMBA. Directed by Brian Desmond Hirst, this chilling drama tells the story of the struggle for Kenyan independence, with Cameron in the role of a doctor trying to reconcile his admiration for Western civilisation with his African heritage. The Heart Within In his next role and arguably his breakthrough film, THE HEART WITHIN (1957), Cameron stars as a man on the run for a crime he didn’t commit. Sapphire In the BAFTA-winning film SAPPHIRE (1959) director Basil Dearden highlights racial tensions in Britain in the late 1950’s with Cameron playing a leading role. Flame In The In Streets; In the BAFTA-nominated film FLAME IN THE STREETS (1961), Cameron stars alongside John Mills as a factory worker who earns a promotion, much to the resentment of his white colleagues. The career of Earl Cameron mirrored changes in both British cinema and society. Often cast as a sensitive outsider, Cameron played his film roles with both grace and moral authority and in 2009 he received the CBE for his contribution to acting.