Cy Grant

Cy Grant was a Guyanese actor, singer, writer, and poet. Born in Beterverwagting, British Guiana, he served in the RAF during World War II, then trained as a barrister before turning to acting. His first role came on a Moss Empires tour of 13 Death St., Harlem, and he later joined Laurence Olivier's Festival of Britain Company. He became a singer of Caribbean and folk songs and in 1956 became the first black host of a television series, For Members Only. On the BBC's Tonight he sang topical calypsos, which made him a familiar face and the first black performer to appear regularly on British television. His films included Sea Wife (1957), Shaft in Africa (1973), and At the Earth's Core (1976). He played Othello in Leicester in 1965, provided the voice of Lieutenant Green for Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons from 1967 to 1968, and received an honorary fellowship from the University of Surrey Roehampton in 1997.