Acclaimed actors saluted as film pioneers

The three actors were among a distinguished group of 14 individuals and organisations who were formally recognised this year for their groundbreaking roles in the development of the local film industry. Cherrie was the only honoree present to accept his award. Joseph was represented by his father, Leslie Joseph, while the posthumous award for the late Sullivan Walker was accepted by his widow, Carol Walker, and sister, Susan Wilkinson.

“I am happy to receive this recognition for my work. It is really a labour of love and all I really wanted to do. I feel privileged to be named alongside acclaimed practitioners of the art,” Cherrie said, on accepting the award from Danielle A Jones-Hunte, manager, Corporate Communications, BP Trinidad and Tobago. Mrs Walker said that her late husband loved Trinidad and Tobago and its culture and always included the country of his birth in whatever he did. He had already started working on his autobiography when he died. She said she would complete the work to show that he was not only an actor, but writer and comedian as well. “If he were here today, he would have been overjoyed by this tribute,” she added.

Leslie Joseph said his son, G. Anthony Joseph, always wanted to be an actor and also felt he could get into film production and eventually did. “He would have loved to have been here to accept this award in person but his schedule has kept him busy in Los Angeles. This means a lot to him, that his work is appreciated,” said the elder Joseph.

The Film Pioneers Awards formed an integral part of the two-week film festival which started on September 17 and came to an end on October 1.

About the honorees:

Sullivan Walker (posthumous): The late Sullivan Walker started his acting career as a member of the San Fernando Drama Guild. During the day, he shaped young minds as a teacher at St Paul’s Anglican School, San Fernando. Having worked hard at his craft during his spare time, Walker migrated to the United States where he had a memorable recurring role on the popular Cosby Show. He also appeared in box office hits such as The Exterminator (1980) and Crocodile Dundee (1986). In his final role in a major film, Walker performed alongside Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson, playing the grandfather of the rap superstar in Get Rich Or Die Tryin.

Michael Cherrie: In 1985, a young Michael Cherrie was mesmerised by the work of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in The Godfather films. Having caught the acting bug, Cherrie plied his craft in England, and in 1996 was referred to as “a bit of a genius’ by legendary British director Peter Hall. The British press dubbed him ‘the black Brando’. His films include The Final Passage (1996), Limbo (2010) and Home Again (2011).

He continues to inhabit powerful characters on stage and on film and is making an invaluable contribution, as a teacher, to the next generation of actors.

G. Anthony Joseph: One day while he sat with his wife watching a Chuck Norris film, Joseph said to her, “I can do better than that.” As luck would have it, one of Joseph’s first film roles was as an extra in a Chuck Norris production, Hero and Terror.

He told all his family and friends to go see it, only to discover that his small part didn’t make the final cut. Having overcome that early disappointment, Joseph has made appearances in several film and television productions. Based in Hollywood, he has starred in and produced his own feature films, including Men of Grey (1990), Men of Grey 11: Flight of the Ibis (1996) and Contract Killers (2007).