Bio
Armin Shimerman is an American actor best known for his role as the Ferengi bar owner Quark in the sci-fi television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, from 1993-1999.
When he was 16 his family moved to Los Angeles, where his mother enrolled him in a drama group in an effort to expand his social circle.
He later graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles, then was selected to apprentice at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. He pursued a dramatic career in theatre, eventually moving to New York.
He later returned to Los Angeles where he landed roles in two CBS series, launching a career in television acting.
Although he is best known for his role as Quark in the long-running series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, his involvement with the Star Trek franchise began when he played a different Ferengi in Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Last Outpost", the episode which introduced the Ferengi.
As Quark, he would become one of Trek's most widely-known characters, and he appeared several times on the cover of TV Guide (either with other actors or alone as part of a collector's series).
Along with Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, John de Lancie, Michael Ansara and Richard Poe, he is one of only six actors to play the same character on three different Star Trek series. He played Quark in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager.
Before Star Trek, Shimerman was well known as Pascal on Beauty and the Beast, and as Principal Snyder in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also has starred in Stargate SG-1 as one of the Nox, a wizard in Charmed and appeared as Stan the caddy in an episode of Seinfeld.
He has voiced several video game villains, including Toad in X-Men Legends, Dr. Nefarious in Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Andrew Ryan in Bioshock and Rasputin's father in Psychonauts.
Shimerman played a wizard in an episode of Charmed and voiced the role of General Skarr in Evil Con Carne and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.
He had a recurring role as a judge in the third season of Boston Legal. He joined fellow Trek actors William Shatner, Rene Auberjonois, and Ethan Phillips in the same season of of the show.
Shatner played Captain Kirk on Star Trek, Auberjonois played Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Phillips played Neelix on Star Trek: Voyager. 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 appeared in a season three episode of Numb3rs as an art expert. He also appeared in the episode "Posse Comitatus" of the The West Wing, as Richard III.
He has written a series of books in which he provides a science fictional basis for the life of Dr. John Dee.