Armin Shimerman Armin Shimerman is the actor who was best known in the " Star Trek " universe for his portrayal of the Ferengi bartender Quark on . He is one of only six actors to appear in three different live action " Star Trek " series ( " " , " Deep Space Nine " , and " " ) as the same character . Prior to assuming the role of Quark , however , Shimerman earned the distinction of being among the first to ever portray a Ferengi in the " Star Trek " franchise when the race first appeared in the " Next Generation " episode . Shimerman went on to make two more appearances on TNG ( including a second time as a Ferengi in the episode ) and to star on " Deep Space Nine " for its entire seven - year run ( – ) . He also co - wrote the " Trek " novel " The 34th Rule " . Biography . Born to immigrant parents in Lakewood , New Jersey , Shimerman and his family moved to Los Angeles at the age of sixteen . There , his mother enrolled him into a drama group to help her son meet new people . After graduating from the University of California , Los Angeles ( UCLA ) , Shimerman was one of eight people out of nine hundred applicants chosen to become an apprentice at the prestigious Old Globe Theater in San Diego , California . Shimerman participated in numerous regional theater productions before moving to New York and landing roles on the Broadway stage . Shimerman ' s Broadway debut came when he played part of an ensemble and served as an understudy in the musical " Threepenny Opera " , which ran for 306 performances from 1 May , 1976 through 23 January , 1977 . co - star Roy Brocksmith was also a part of that play ' s cast . Shimerman next performed in the play " Saint Joan " from December 1977 through February 1978 and played the role of Mr . Thorkelson in the musical " I Remember Mama " in 1979 . Shimerman ultimately moved back to Los Angeles , where he acquired guest spots on such television shows as " Cagney & Lacey " , " Remington Steele " , and " The Facts of Life " . From 1987 through 1989 , he was a recurring player on the TV series " Beauty and the Beast " , which starred actor Ron Perlman and Tony Jay . He went on to make appearances on " L . A . Law " ( starring Corbin Bernsen and Larry Drake ) , " Who ' s the Boss ? " , " Alien Nation " ( starring Gary Graham , Eric Pierpoint , and Michele Scarabelli ) , and " Married . . . with Children " . Shimerman also became a regular on " Brooklyn Bridge " during that show ' s first season ( 1991 - 92 ) , playing Uncle Bernie . Beyond " Star Trek " , however , he is perhaps best known for his recurring role as on , and Dr . Nefarious in " Ratchet and Clank " . An interesting piece of trivia is that his character on " Buffy " was killed by a transformed , played by infrequent " Trek " guest star Harry Groener . Shimerman ' s other TV credits include guest appearances on " " , " Ally McBeal " , " The Practice " , " Sliders " , " Charmed " , " The West Wing " , " ER " , " Nip / Tuck " , and " Warehouse 13 " . He was seen in an episode of , starring guest actor Jason Alexander . In 2006 , he co - starred with actor John Billingsley in the TV movie " Dead & Deader " . More recently , Shimerman has been lending his voice to the characters of General Skarr and Hector ' s Stomach on the Cartoon Network series " The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy " and " Evil Con Carne " . In 2005 , he appeared on the TV series " Invasion " , alongside other " Star Trek " actors such as his DS9 co - star Cirroc Lofton . He had a recurring role as Judge Brian Hooper on " Boston Legal " , starring William Shatner and DS9 co - star and friend Rene Auberjonois . " DS9 " guest star Henry Gibson also played a judge in Shimerman ' s first episode , " Can ' t We All Get a Lung ? " , which aired 19 September 2006 . In Shimerman ' s third episode , " Voyager " star Ethan Phillips appeared as the father of the boy accused of killing Shimerman ' s wife . Ron Canada also guest - starred in the episode , also as a judge . In his fourth episode , Shimerman finally shared a scene with Rene Auberjonois . In 2007 , Shimerman also voiced various characters BioWare ' s " Mass Effect " , a game also featuring the voices of Marina Sirtis , Raphael Sbarge , and Dwight Schultz . Depending on player choices , Shimerman ' s primary character may also appear in the game ' s sequel , which also features Michael Dorn , Robin Sachs , and Keith Szarabajka . Shimerman also voiced the character of Andrew Ryan in the 2007 computer game " Bioshock " . The developers of the game refused to disclose who voiced this character before the game ' s release , only hinting that " we wouldn ' t believe it " . Only after the game ' s release was it confirmed that Ryan was voiced by Shimerman . ( Source : IGN . com ) In gaming circles , this surprised many , for Ryan had a very low voice , very different than what Shimerman had shown in other mediums . ( TTLG . com ) Shimerman ' s frequent DS9 co - star , J . G . Hertzler , also voiced a character in the game , and both Shimerman and Hertzler reprised their roles for the 2010 sequel , " BioShock 2 " . Shimerman has also acquired a number of feature film credits throughout his career , including " The Hitcher " ( 1986 ) with Henry Darrow , " Arena " ( 1989 ) with Marc Alaimo , " Death Warrant " ( 1990 ) sharing screen time with Patrick Kilpatrick and TNG guest musician performer Abdul Salaam El Razzac , and " Eye for an Eye " ( 1996 ) with many fellow Trek actors in this legal thriller . Joining Shimerman were Nicholas Cascone , Robert Clendenin , Natalia Nogulich , Angela Paton , Sierra Pecheur , Wayne Péré and Michael Buchman Silver . He appeared in the 2008 comedy " The Urn " , co - starring TNG guest actor Stanley Kamel . Both Shimerman and actor Brent Spiner made their feature film debuts in small roles in ' s " Stardust Memories " , released in 1980 . More recently , he had a cameo in the docudrama " What the Bleep Do We Know ? " Shimerman is married to actress Kitty Swink , who guest - starred twice on DS9 , first as Rozahn in season two ' s and then as Luaran in season seven ' s . Shimerman and Swink also co - starred together in a few projects , including 1987 ' s " Like Father Like Son " ( starring Catherine Hicks and also featuring Randy Lowell , Michael Horton , and Dakin Matthews ) and the 2001 made - for - TV movie " Just Ask My Children " ( co - starring Virginia Madsen , Robert Joy , Barbara Tarbuck , Casey Biggs , Jack Shearer , and John Billingsley ) . In 2010 Shimerman appeared in a " Warehouse 13 " episode entitled " Where and When " . Trivia . Shimerman was on the set of DS9 during a large earthquake in Los Angeles ( presumably the 17 January 1994 Northridge earthquake ) . He rushed home to check on his family , so he did not have time to get his makeup removed . His Ferengi makeup " scared the living shit out of people " as he says at conventions .