John Tracy (Thunderbirds)
| John Tracy | |
|---|---|
| Thunderbirds character | |
 | |
| First appearance | "Trapped in the Sky" (30 September 1965) |
| Last appearance | Thunderbirds (2004 film) |
| Created by | Gerry Anderson |
| Portrayed by |
Ray Barrett (1965-1966; voice work) Keith Alexander (1968; voice work) Lex Shrapnel (2004 film) |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | "Space Monitor" |
| Family |
Jeff Tracy (father) Scott Tracy (brother) Virgil Tracy (brother) Gordon Tracy (brother) Alan Tracy (brother) Grandma Tracy (grandmother) |
| Nationality | American |
John Tracy is a fictional character from Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation television series Thunderbirds and the subsequent films Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6. The character also appeared in the live-action film Thunderbirds, in which he was played by Lex Shrapnel.
The second son of Jeff Tracy (founder and financier of International Rescue), John was named after astronaut John Glenn.[1] Sources vary in the canon of the Thunderbirds series as to John's age and birth date, although one written source suggests that he was born on 28 October 2041 - even though this would make him the third son.[2]
As an alumnus of Harvard University where he studied electronics and communication, John's quiet intellectual nature and interest in astronomy make him the natural choice for the solitary life as the occupant of space station Thunderbird 5, monitoring for distress calls from around the world. He has only ever been seen physically involved in a rescue during the episode "Danger At Ocean Deep," although dialogue at the end of that episode suggests that he has already been on various (if unseen on-screen) missions. According to Carlton Books 'Lady Penelope's Secrets,' John is known to be exceedingly patient, kindly and gracious and possessed of both great intelligence and poise as gifts inherited from his talented mother.
John Tracy was initially to be one of the main characters in the series, but he became the least favourite character of creator Gerry Anderson and consequently had a much more limited role in the series than originally intended.[1] John was the first of the Tracy brothers to be cast. Actor Ray Barrett was so impressed with the attractive nature of the face of the marionette, who was modeled on head-shots of rock singer Adam Faith and actor Charlton Heston that he immediately advised co-producer Sylvia Anderson that he wanted to play the studious young astronaut with the boyish quiff.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 www.fab1.co.nz - characters
- ↑ {{cite book. The majority of sources and two decades of Thunderbirds calendars cite John's birthday as October 8 and he is 25 years of age. Chris Bentley, author of 'The Complete Book Of Thunderbirds' erroneously cited Gerry Anderson as the source of the misinformation about the birth order of the Tracy brothers but later admitted that he was using the order of the brothers as shown in the credits. Most source books on Thunderbirds prior to the 'Complete' book noted that the birth order matches the number of the Thunderbirds ships, save that the third brother (John) and fifth brother (Alan) trade shifts aboard their respective crafts. John is a noted scholar of astronomy and has authored several popular astronomy textbooks. He is a graduate of Harvard University with a degree in Advanced Telecommunications. | title=Thunderbirds ARE GO! | author=Marriot, John | coauthors=Anderson, Gerry (foreword) | isbn=978-1-85283-164-6 | publisher=Boxtree | year=1992 | location=London | chapter=2 | page=21 }}
- ↑ Barrett, Ray (1995). Ray Barrett: An Autobiography. Milsons Point): Random House. ISBN 0 09 183074 5.
External links
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