Quark
Quark is the Ferengi bartender on DS9. The
Ferengi race, has seen in The Next Generation, are ugly, sexist, greedy little
aliens who are interested only in profit and getting theirs hands on anything
of yours they happen to fancy. Quark runs many of the entertainment concessions
on DS9. He has a bar, a restaurant, a gambling house (dabo), and the holosuites
upstairs where your every fantasy can be played out. He spends most of his
time behind the bar. If there is some scam being run in the sector it often
involves him. But beyond that, he is a charming host, in a Ferengi sort of
way. He forges interesting relationships with Captain Sisko and Constable
Odo. He lends a hand to dissolve problems as long as there's something in
it for him. His completely sexist attitude makes Kira an obvious adversary
and he is consumed with passion for Dax.
See: Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
Originally, Armin Shimerman--DEEP
SPACE NINE's Ferengi wheeler/dealer Quark--had no intention of becoming
an actor. He wanted to pursue a career as a lawyer. Well, through a strange
and ironic twist of fate, he is now best known as a character who embodies
all the worst--and none of the best--traits of those who ply the legal
profession, topped off with the greatest depths of greed and moral
underhandedness ever seen on TV . . . except perhaps on L.A. LAW.
Shimerman was born in Lakewood, New Jersey and moved to Los Angeles when
he was 15. His first taste of acting came about when his mother urged him
to join a local community theater as a way of making friends and meeting
new people. He had roles in high school productions and then college productions
at the University of California at Los Angeles. Graduating from University
of California, Shimerman moved back East, to New York City, and pursued stage
acting. While there he appeared in regional productions of the Tyron Guthrie
Theater, the New York Shakespeare Festival and the American Shakespeare Festival.
He appeared in Broadway productions of St. Joan, The Three Penny Opera,
I Remember Mama, and Shakespeare's As You Like
It.
CAREER LAUNCHED
Returning to Los Angeles, Shimerman soon began getting frequent roles on
TV, including appearances on WHO'S THE BOSS, ALIEN NATION (in the episode
"Gimme, Gimme"), L.A. LAW, MARRIED WITH CHILDREN, and COP ROCK. His first
real recognition on a television series came when he played Pascal on BEAUTY
AND THE BEAST for two and a half years. Prior to joining DEEP SPACE NINE,
Shimerman had a semi-regular role as Cousin Bernie on the critically acclaimed
but low-rated series BROOKLYN BRIDGE.
Above all this, he worked on STAR TREK before Quark was even dreamed up.
His NEXT GENERATION debut was as the voice of the talking wedding box in
the first season NEXT GENERATION episode titled "Haven." He also helped create
the Ferengi when he portrayed the villainous Letek in "The Last Outpost,"
another first season appearance. He also appeared as Bractor, yet another
Ferengi, in the TNG episode "Peak Performance."
ANOTHER WORLD
Working on "The Last Outpost" was an interesting experience for Armin. He
had not seen any of the sets before reporting for work, and because of his
three hour make-up routine had had to arrive on the Paramount lot extremely
early. After completing his makeup, while it was still dark outside, he went
to the "planet stage," a hug sound stage on which the elaborate sets representing
the surfaces of other planets are constructed. Shimerman recalled, "I had
to go through a door that was in complete darkness. I opened a second door
and I walked onto another world! I think everyone who watches STAR TREK has
a similar experience, although in a different way; they are transported to
another world. In my case, I was literally transported to another world!"
Armin regrets that the director played up the comedic aspect of the short,
funny looking characters so much that at the end of the episode the Ferengi
were hopping around like monkeys. "If you look at the pilot for THE NEXT
GENERATION, they make the Ferengi sound as though they might be the new Klingons.
The director of that episode looked at these three very short character actors
in all this rubber and he thought they were funny. And they are comical!
But I think he changed the threat into parody. That's certainly not what
I brought to my original audition. The Ferengi have become more and more
comical, although they're not monkey-like any more."
THE FERENGI TOUCH
In fact, in Armin Shimerman's capable hands, the Ferengi -- as embodied by
Quark -- have shown more and more facets to their cultural personality. Clearly,
as a Ferengi, Shimerman can do things and say things he might never say as
an ordinary day-to-day human (or "hu-mon") being. The key to this
flamboyance? The make-up, claims Shimerman. "It gives me the freedom to do
the most outrageous things, things that I don't think I could do bare-faced."
With any luck, he'll keep being outrageous for a long time on DEEP SPACE
NINE. By embodying some of humanity's worst traits, Quark is in many ways
the most human person in the squeaky clean STAR TREK universe . . . and only
a deeply human performer like Armin Shimerman could truly realize such a
character.
Mail to Armin Shimerman
Armin Shimerman Information Society c/o K. Baynes, 26 Dogwood St, Jersey
City, NJ 07305 - U.S.A.
For comments, suggestions, ideas etc.etc. please
Mail-me.
by Mario Guatteri
Quark is the Ferengi bartender on DS9. The
Ferengi race, has seen in The Next Generation, are ugly, sexist, greedy little
aliens who are interested only in profit and getting theirs hands on anything
of yours they happen to fancy. Quark runs many of the entertainment concessions
on DS9. He has a bar, a restaurant, a gambling house (dabo), and the holosuites
upstairs where your every fantasy can be played out. He spends most of his
time behind the bar. If there is some scam being run in the sector it often
involves him. But beyond that, he is a charming host, in a Ferengi sort of
way. He forges interesting relationships with Captain Sisko and Constable
Odo. He lends a hand to dissolve problems as long as there's something in
it for him. His completely sexist attitude makes Kira an obvious adversary
and he is consumed with passion for Dax.
