Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 24, 1993 TAG: 9308230005
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By IAN SPELLING
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
And Shimerman couldn't be happier about that.
"I'm ecstatic," the actor says by phone from the Los Angeles home he shares with his actress-wife, Kitty.
"As time goes on Nana [Visitor], Siddig [El Fadil] and Avery [Brooks] will have a hard time keeping a low profile in public, and I'll be smiling wherever I go.
"Even when I'm at Paramount, walking with Jonathan Frakes or LeVar Burton, people smile and wave at them. That recognition is wonderful if you enjoy it, but I've always liked my anonymity."
That's why he doesn't mind spending three hours in the makeup chair before each episode having a latex helmet, heavy makeup and false teeth applied.
"Deep Space 9" is not Shimerman's first venture into the "Trek" universe. He appeared, uncredited, as a Wedding Box in the first-season "Next Generation" episode "Haven." He also portrayed the first-ever Ferengi in the 1987 episode "The Last Outpost" and played another Ferengi in the 1989 episode "Peak Performance."
When casting director Junie Lowry-Johnson was assembling actors to populate "DS9" she remembered Shimerman and her promise to someday give the actor a more substantial role. That role turned out to be Quark, the Ferengi bartender who has become one of "DS9's" most popular characters.
"I'm thrilled by the reaction," Shimerman says. "I knew people would be interested in the show but had no idea they'd be so interested."
Since the series' premiere, the 43-year-old actor has received thousands of letters from viewers.
"The fans seem to like Quark," he says. "They also understand `DS9' is a different vision of `Star Trek,' and they want to learn more about it."
Initially, Shimerman thought the show's writers would rely on the Ferengi to provide a menacing presence. He was surprised that they chose to use Quark's love-hate relationship with Security Chief Odo (Rene Auberjonois) to generate comic relief.
"If I think about it, I must have known that was going to happen," he says. "I wanted Quark to be a wall everyone had to get over to achieve their ends.
"That hasn't happened. It's not a disappointment; it's just not what I envisioned. I've come to realize the situation is actually better as is, but it took a while."
Shimerman, who was born and reared in New Jersey, became interested in acting at age 17, shortly after his family moved to Los Angeles where he joined a drama group.
After graduating from the University of California at Los Angeles with a degree in English, he went to New York and began appearing in stage shows ranging from "Three Penny Opera" to "Richard II."
A move back to Los Angeles led to guest-star parts on "Married . . . with Children" and "L.A. Law," as well as recurring roles on "Beauty and the Beast" and "Brooklyn Bridge."
Last year Shimerman branched out into movies, filming a cameo for "Slaughter of the Innocents" during a "DS9" production break. The actor describes "Slaughter," currently without a distributor, as a variation on "Silence of the Lambs."
Now back before the "DS9" cameras, Shimerman says he is looking forward to another year of Trekking but doesn't want to peer too far ahead.
"The idea of seven years in one role, like the `Next Generation' actors have done, is, to be honest, a little daunting," he says. "I'm sure it'll be mostly a blessing, but it may also have down sides.
"Right now, though, I'm ready for and excited about a second year of `Deep Space Nine.' "
CON CALENDAR SEPT. 2-6
Con Francisco at the Parc Fifty-Five hotel in San Francisco. Write to P.O. Box 22097, San Francisco, Calif. 94122 or call (415) 392-8000.
Creation at the Ramada Renaissance in Washington, D.C., featuring Patrick Stewart. (Sept. 4-5 only; 818-409-0960)
Creation at the Drawbridge Inn in Cincinnati, featuring Marina Sirtis. (Sept. 4-5 only; 818-409-0960)
Creation at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, featuring Michael Dorn. (Sept. 4-5 only; 818-409-0960)
TREK ALERT
If you have Trek news or trivia to share - or if you have questions relating to "Star Trek" - write to Ian Spelling, care of the Features Department, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491. Be sure to enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you would like a reply.
by CNB