From The Barn to the Big Screen: Munair Zacca’s storied career

On April 2, Jamaica lost one of its most beloved actors, Munair Zacca. With an almost 60-year career that spanned theatre, television, and film, the 79-year-old was one of the most recognisable faces on the island.

Zacca was born on July 14, 1945, to Nazir and Olga Zacca in Spanish Town. He was educated at Jamaica College and was one of the founding members of Theatre 77 in 1965. Alongside Sydney Hibbert, Grace Lannaman, Pat Priestley, Billy Young, Yvonne Brewster, and Trevor Rhone, the group became one of the most pioneering theatre collectives in Jamaica’s history, where their goal was to advance the island’s theatrical arts.

The group’s early base was at The Barn – a garage at 5 Oxford Road at the home of Brewster’s parents. Zacca was one of the youngest in the collective, and as such, his parents were reportedly not too thrilled about his chosen career, which led him to deviate from the initial plans they had for him, according to Yvonne Brewster in her 2017 book, Vaulting Ambition: Jamaica’s Barn Theatre:

“Munair had just left school at Jamaica College and his parents, having envisioned a brighter future for him in the commercial retail family business downtown, than one messing ‘round doing strange things on stage in a tumbledown building.”

Still, at The Barn in 1965, Zacca had one of his first significant roles when he appeared in Miss Julie – the 1888 Swedish play by August Strindberg. In this Jamaica adaptation, Zacca and his fellow actors were directed by Sydney Hibbert. A few months later, Zacca was cast in A Ballad for a Revolution. The play, written by Sylvia Wynter, was based on the events before and after the Morant Bay Rebellion and was commissioned by the Ministry of Development and Welfare to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the rebellion.

As the 1960s continued, Zacca would star in several plays produced by Theatre 77. These include Koo Koo (1967), The Collection (1966), and It’s Not My Fault and Baby (1967). In Vaulting Ambition: Jamaica’s Barn Theatre, he stated that the latter was one of his favourite productions in his career:

“I so loved and relished playing the character of Ron in this play and could’ve gone on and on.”

By the 1970s, Zacca achieved a major career milestone. In 1973, he was cast in the eighth instalment of the James Bond movie franchise Live and Let Die, which was partially filmed in Jamaica. Zacca played a hotel receptionist on San Monique, the fictional Caribbean island featured in the film.

The decade also saw Zacca expand his repertoire as a play director. His credits during this period included The Criminals (1974), Noah (1975), The Quickie (1976), and Sweet Talk (1977). He also starred in many reputable plays at this time. Some include Playhouse (1974), Anasi and Unsung Heroes Out West (1978), The Balcony (1979); and the play adaptation of Derek Walcott’s Dream on Monkey Mountain, where Zacca’s role as Corporal Lestrade was highly praised in the Jamaican press.

The 1980s saw Zacca continue his stage and film career. He played the PNP-inspired politician Periera in the film Countryman (1982). Then there was the 1983 play Prisoner of Second Avenue to which one theatre critic wrote in a January 19 Gleaner article:

“Claude Clarke’s production of Prisoner of Second Avenue must be credited as being one of the most successful efforts to date, largely due to Munair Zacca’s excellent acting ... In this production he commands the audience’s respect, demonstrating his stagecraft to an almost awesome inspiring extent. He displays a wide range of emotion, moving at times schizophrenically between frustration, numb depression [or raging paranoia] – all portrayed comically yet very convincingly. His performance tempts one to see the play again – any actor who can inspire you to fork out the money for a second astronomically-priced theatre ticket must be good.”

For this role, Zacca won the Best Actor award at that year’s staging of the annual National Drama Awards. His other notable theatrical works throughout the ‘80s include Miser (1984); All in the Games (1985); the musical Garvey (1987), written by Perry Henzell and based on the life and work of Marcus Garvey; Old Story Time (1988) and Beverly Hills Call-Girl (1989).

THE VILLAIN WE LOVED

In the 1990s, Zacca continues to star in and direct several theatrical productions. The decade also saw him expand his reach to television and he was soon tapped to play what would become his most well-known character – the villain patriarch, Sonny ‘Sonny T’ Tavares, in the Lennie Little-White TV show, Royal Palm Estate. He would reprise the renowned role throughout its run in the ‘90s and the new millennium. As the Gleaner stated in a February 12, 2005, article,

“The ability to simulate ‘death and resurrection’, the bedroom bully, the ruthless don, loyal colleague, and a firm believer in ‘one hand washing the other’ are only some of the characteristics that the actor Munair Zacca brings to one of the original and continuing characters on Royal Palm Estate .”

The 2000s saw Zacca return to film when he played the politician, Mr Anderson, in the 2002 Cess Silvera-directed cult classic Shottas. The role of a corrupted Jamaican politician was repeated when he played the ‘Crookish M. P.’ in the music video for Vybz Kartel’s 2005 song, Emergency. He also starred in the Little-White-directed film Glory to Glorianna (2006) and had a cameo in the short children’s film, Adventures with Queen Esther (2007).

His theatrical run at this time included Feminine Justice (2005), for which he gained an Actor Boy nomination for Best Actor; The Play’s The Thing (2006); Art (2008), which earned him the Best Supporting Actor award at the Actor Boy ceremony; and Tartuffe (2010).

In 2011, he reprised his role as Sonny T in the Royal Palm Estate spin-off, The Blackburns of Royal Palm Estate. The 2010s also saw Zacca appear in several films. He played Mr Secretary in Storm Saulter’s 2011 debut film, Better Mus’ Come. Two years later, he was Munir in Mary Wells’s debut film, Kingston Paradise; and in 2014, he appeared in Destiny. In 2014, he also starred in the play, Lotto Money.

In the last few years, his health caused him to step away from the stage and the screen. As Adelina Pedroza-Zacca, his wife of almost 40 years, told The Gleaner in a 2025 interview:

“It was a very difficult last couple of years. When he wasn’t on stage it was because he couldn’t. But he got a lot of love.”

In 2024, Zacca was inducted into Jollywood’s Jamaica Hall of Fame in celebration of “his extraordinary contributions to Brand Jamaica”. Still, in the wake of his death last week, the outpouring of love across Jamaica society highlights the incalculable impact that Zacca has had on the island’s theatrical, televised, and cinematic industry. As Kanhai Condison, the founder and CEO of Jollywood, stated in an April 2025 Instagram post:

“His hand and footprint imprint, housed at the Planet Jollywood Museum in Kingston, Jamaica, stands as an everlasting tribute to his legacy, preserving his aura for generations to come. Sonny T showed unwavering love and support for Jollywood Jamaica from the very beginning and continued to be an integral part of our journey throughout the years. His immense talent, warm spirit, and dedication to the arts left an indelible mark on the hearts of all who knew him.”

J.T. Davy is a member of Tenement Yaad Media, where she writes and co-produces their popular historical podcast, ‘Lest We Forget’. Send feedback to jordpilot@hotmail.com and entertainment@gleanerjm.com.