Tracy Connell (19 January 1933 – 3 January 2014), also known by his stage name Nik Zaran, was a
Vincentian actor.
Initially a keen sportsman, he mainly played football and cricket while attending the St. Vincent Grammar School. However, his dream was to become an actor. Aged 19 in 1952, Connell came to England, initially joining the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
before going into acting, his training being funded by the RAF.
Zaran began his career in 1961, firstly using his birth name before adopting Nik Zaran as his stage name in 1968. He appeared in many cult TV favourites including ''
Danger Man
''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again ...
'', ''
Man in a Suitcase
''Man in a Suitcase'' is a British television private eye thriller series produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It originally aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV from 27 September 1967 to 17 April 1968. American Broadcast ...
'', ''
The Saint'', ''
The Champions
''The Champions'' is a British espionage thriller/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure television series. It was produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company, and consists of 30 episodes broadcast in the UK on ...
'', ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' – ''
The Space Pirates
''The Space Pirates'' is the mostly missing sixth serial of the sixth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which originally aired in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1969.
In this serial, the TARD ...
'', ''
Department S'', ''
The Troubleshooters'', ''
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' is a British private detective television series, starring Mike Pratt (actor), Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope respectively as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk. The series was created by Denn ...
'' – ''
The Trouble with Women'', ''
Jason King'' and ''
It Ain't Half Hot Mum
''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' is a British television sitcom about a Royal Artillery concert party based in Deolali in British India and the fictional village of Tin Min in Burma, during the final months of the Second World War. It was written by ...
'' plus a few films notably the Blaxploitation flick ''
Shaft in Africa''. Other work included commercials for Frys Cocoa and
British Overseas Airways Corporation
British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the United Kingdom, British state-owned national airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II ...
(BOAC).
Returning to SVG in 1977 and reverting to his original name of Tracy Connell, the actor concentrated on dance and theatre, tutoring several Vincentians to get into the business as well as setting up a theatre company, staging shows at the Peace Memorial Hall in Kingston including the phenomenal ''That Christmas Feeling'' in 1981, which Tracy wrote, produced and directed. He also acted as trainer on the Carnival Development Committee, training contestants and dancers expected to perform at beauty shows.
In addition upon his return home, he helped extend a family business, Kingstown’s Bounty Restaurant (opened in 1968) to become the Bounty Restaurant and Art Gallery. Running it with his wife, the place served as an art gallery for paintings by local artists as well as being an eatery for many years before closing its doors in 2012.
The Bounty
/ref>
Filmography
References
External links
*
Tracy Connell
at Theatricalia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaran, Nik
1933 births
2014 deaths
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines male actors
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines male television actors
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines theatre directors
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines dramatists and playwrights
People from Kingstown
Royal Air Force airmen