A groundbreaking actor has been awarded a CBE for services to drama.

Earl Cameron was named in the Queen's New Year's Honours List after a movie, television and theatre career spanning seven decades.

Mr. Cameron, 91, of Pembroke, was one of the first black actors to break into UK mainstream entertainment, with parts on cult shows such as Doctor Who, Dangerman and The Prisoner.

After playing an artist in the 2006 film The Queen, the thespian is now set to meet Queen Elizabeth II in real life.

"I played an artist who painted Helen Mirren's portrait in The Queen, so I have already had a trial run. It never occurred to me I would come up for any kind of award like this," said Mr. Cameron.

The Bermudian first arrived in Britain as World War Two broke out, at the age of 22. His big break came in the Ealing thriller Pool of London (1951), where as Johnny Lambert he was the first black British actor to star in a feature film.

Since then he has starred with actors such as Sean Connery (Thunderball), Richard Attenborough, and Sidney Poitier (A Warm December, 1973).

Mr. Cameron, a father-of-five, has lived in Warwickshire for the past four years with his second wife Barbara. He makes regular appearances on popular British television shows such as Casualty and Dalziel and Pascoe.

His most recent film work includes the role of fictional dictator Edward Zuwanie in The Interpreter in 2005. Commenting on his performance, a critic with the Baltimore Sun wrote: "Earl Cameron is magnificent as the slimy old fraud of a dictator", while Rolling Stone magazine described his appearance as "subtle and menacing".

The actor was presented with the Prospero Award for lifetime achievement by the Bermuda International Film Festival in 2007.