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Armin Shimerman

Armin Shimerman is an American actor, writer and voice performer whose career moves comfortably between theatre, television, games and books. Born in Lakewood, New Jersey, on November 5, 1949, he moved with his family to Los Angeles at 15. Drama became an early focus: he was active at Santa Monica High School, taking leading roles in productions of Hamlet, The Crucible and The Skin of Our Teeth. After graduating from UCLA, he apprenticed at San Diego’s Old Globe Theater, pursued theatre work and later joined New York City’s Impossible Ragtime Theater. For many viewers, Shimerman is inseparable from Quark, the Ferengi bar owner at the centre of countless deals, arguments and uneasy alliances on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. His connection to Star Trek began earlier, with appearances as other Ferengi characters on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He eventually played Quark across The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Lower Decks, giving the character a reach well beyond a single series. Shimerman has also shown a particular knack for characters who bring pressure into a scene. As Principal Snyder in 19 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, he made school authority feel both petty and threatening. Elsewhere, his television work has included Beauty and the Beast, Stargate SG-1, Seinfeld, Boston Legal, The West Wing, Warehouse 13, Castle and Leverage. His voice career is just as substantial. He voiced Andrew Ryan in the BioShock series and Doctor Nefarious in the Ratchet & Clank franchise, alongside roles in Psychonauts, Mass Effect, Jade Empire, StarCraft II and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. These performances make good use of the precision and theatrical energy familiar from his screen work. Shimerman is also an author. He co-wrote the Deep Space Nine novel The 34th Rule with David R. George III and has written science-fiction novels centred on the historical figure John Dee. His longstanding connection to Shakespeare has continued through teaching, including work as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California.