Armin Shimerman (born November 5, 1949) is an American actor who played Quark the Ferengi in the Star Trek franchise, appearing as the character in all seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999). He also had a recurring role as Principal Snyder in the first three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–1999), and voiced General Skarr and other characters in the animated series Evil Con Carne (2001–2004) and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2001–2007), Doctor Nefarious in the Ratchet & Clank video game series, and Andrew Ryan in the BioShock video game series.
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Early life
Shimerman was born into a Jewish family in Lakewood, New Jersey, on November 5, 1949, the son of accountant Susan and house painter Herbert Shimerman. When he was 15, he moved with his family to Los Angeles, where his mother enrolled him in a drama group in an effort to expand his social circle. He attended Santa Monica High School and was active in drama. As a senior, he played leading roles in school productions of Hamlet, The Crucible, and The Skin of Our Teeth before graduating in 1967. After graduating from UCLA, he was selected to apprentice at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. He began pursuing a career in theater and eventually moved to New York City, where he was a member of the Impossible Ragtime Theater. Returning to Los Angeles, he took roles in two CBS series to launch his television acting career.
Career
Acting
Shimerman played the Ferengi bar owner Quark in the long-running television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, though his involvement with the Star Trek franchise began with appearances as other Ferengi characters in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes "The Last Outpost" and "Peak Performance". Shimerman appeared several times on the cover of TV Guide, either with other actors or alone.
Along with Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Jonathan Frakes, and John de Lancie, Shimerman is one of only a few actors to play the same character on four or more different Star Trek series. He played Quark in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Lower Decks. He reprised the role of Quark in the 1998 film Star Trek: Insurrection, but only in deleted scenes.
In addition to Star Trek, Shimerman has had roles as Pascal on Beauty and the Beast and as Principal Snyder in 19 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He has also starred as Anteaus in Stargate SG-1 as one of the Nox, an evil wizard in Charmed, appeared as Stan the caddy in an episode of Seinfeld, and as Dr. Patemkin on Leverage.
Shimerman has appeared in the first seven episodes as Judge Brian Hooper in the third season of Boston Legal, joining fellow Star Trek actors William Shatner, René Auberjonois, and Ethan Phillips. His character even shared a scene with Auberjonois, with the strife between the two characters reminiscent of the conflict between Shimerman's Quark and Auberjonois's Odo.
He made an appearance as "The Terror" in the first Tick live-action series.
He appeared in the series Numb3rs episode "Provenance" as Patrick Holden. He had a small cameo in the episode "Posse Comitatus" of The West Wing as Richard the III and another in the film as an Old Man in the subway in What the Bleep Do We Know!?.
He has made appearances in various television series such as Babes as Mr. Ian Anderson, Married... with Children as Mr. Lovejoy, Warehouse 13 as Charlie Martin, Tremors as Cecil Carr, The Young and the Restless as Judge Graham Roberts, Castle as Benjamin Donnelly, Bad Samaritans as the Judge, and Red Bird as Max.
Writing
Shimerman co-authored a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novel, The 34th Rule, with David R. George III, published January 1, 1999. It focuses on his character Quark, who loses his bar and is imprisoned during a diplomatic crisis between the Bajoran and Ferengi governments. The novel is an allegory for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Shimerman has co-written a series of books in which he provides a science-fictional basis for the life of John Dee. The first novel in the series, The Merchant Prince, was co-written with Irish author Michael Scott, known for his Nicholas Flamel series. Published in 2000, it features the historical figure John Dee being placed in suspended animation in 1575 by an alien race known as the Roc and awakening in 2099. The cover features Shimerman in Elizabethan garb. Shimerman commented: "John Dee really did exist. We're pretty sure he was a member of Queen Elizabeth's secret service, which put it in his purview to kill if he needed to. The Elizabethan period was a much more perilous time; you had to be quick with a dagger and nefarious in order to survive". Shimerman thought aspects of both himself and his Star Trek: Deep Space Nine character, Quark, were in the novel's interpretation of John Dee. Shimerman commented: "There are aspects of Quark similar to Dr. Dee, and undoubtedly there are aspects of Dr. Dee similar to Armin Shimerman, which would make him seem like Quark, as well".
The other novels in the series are Outrageous Fortune (2002), co-written with Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, known for her historical horror novels; and Capital Offense (2003).
In late 2020, Shimerman's new book, Illyria: Betrayal of Angels, was released by publisher Jumpmaster Press. Betrayal of Angels is the first book in Shimerman's trilogy about John Dee.
Teaching
Shimerman has been teaching Shakespeare for years, and as an adjunct professor for the University of Southern California. He also serves as Shakespeare scholar for productions in and around the Los Angeles area.
Personal life
Shimerman married actress Kitty Swink in May 1981.
Filmography
Soundtrack performances
Cop Rock (1990) - (performer: "He's Guilty") - Episode: "Pilot"
What We Left Behind: Star Trek DS9 (2019) - (performer: "What We Left Behind")
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (2021) - (performer: "Join Me at the Top")
Writer work
Evil Con Carne (2004) - (story - segment "Hector, King of the Britons") - Episode: "Jealousy, Jealous Do/Hector, King of the Britons"
Audio work
The 34th Rule (2000) - Narrator, Quark
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Legends of the Ferengi (2001) - Narrator, Quark
Incident at Vichy (2002) - First Detective, Prof. Hoffman
Magic Time (2005) - Narration
Twelve Angry Men (2006) - Juror #4
The War of the Worlds (2007) - Announcer, Others
The Maltese Falcon (2008) - Wilmer
Adventures in Odyssey (2009) - Prince George
The Mark of Zorro (2011) - Tavern Landlord
Die, Snow White! Die, Damn You!: A Very Grimm Tale (2012) - The Magic Mirror
Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad (2016) - Narration
Magic Time: an Audio Play (2017) - Sam Lungo
Broadway work
Threepenny Opera (1976-1977) - Mr. Charles Filch, Ed, Ensemble
Saint Joan (1977-1978) - Baudricourt's Steward, Page to Warwick, Thomas de Courcelles, The English Soldier, Ensemble
I Remember Mama (1979) - Mr. Thorkelson
The Play That Goes Wrong (2022) - Dennis Tyde, Perkins
