J. G. Hertzler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids J. G. Hertzler
Hertzler (2011)
Born	(1950-03-18) March 18, 1950 (age 75) Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Other names	John Noah Hertzler
Alma mater	Bucknell University University of Maryland American University
Occupation	Actor author screenwriter activist
Years active	1978–present
Children	1

John Garman Hertzler Jr. (born March 18, 1950) is an American actor, author, screenwriter, and activist. He is most famous for playing the Klingon General (and later Chancellor) Martok in the TV show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He played this role from 1995 until the show ended in 1999.

Hertzler started his acting career in the 1970s. He performed in many plays and appeared in some movies. Before Deep Space Nine, he had guest roles in different TV shows. His first big TV part was as Alcalde Ignacio De Soto in the early 1990s show Zorro. Besides Deep Space Nine, Hertzler has been in several other Star Trek shows. He has also written two Star Trek novels. Today, Hertzler lives in the Finger Lakes area of New York. He used to teach at Cornell University's theater department. He has also been active in local politics and written a movie script.

Becoming an Actor

Early Life and School

Hertzler was born in Savannah, Georgia. His parents came from Port Royal, Pennsylvania. His family has roots from German-speaking Amish families. His father, John G. Hertzler, worked in the U.S. Air Force. His mother, Eleanor Frances Beaver Hertzler, was a teacher of Latin and French.

His family lived in many cities around the world. These included St. Joseph, Missouri, El Paso, Texas, and Casablanca in Morocco. He mostly grew up near Washington, D.C. He went to Bucknell University and played football there. He became an actor when the drama department asked him to be in a play called Marat/Sade. They needed a tall person for a role.

After finishing college in 1972, he studied set design at the University of Maryland. He also went to law school for a year at American University. While in the D.C. area, he worked for the government. He also took many jobs to help him practice theater, like waiting tables and driving a taxi.

Acting Career Highlights

First Roles in Movies and Plays

Hertzler worked on theater projects in the Washington area. His first movie role was Lucas in the horror film The Redeemer: Son of Satan in 1978. He also appeared in the movie And Justice for All with Al Pacino in 1979. In New York City, he was in a Broadway play called The Bacchae.

In 1981, he moved to San Francisco. He joined the American Conservatory Theater (ACT). There, he acted and directed in many plays, including works by Shakespeare. He also taught at ACT. Later, he moved to Southern California in 1988 and kept working in theater.

Getting into Television

His first important TV guest role was in 1990. It was on the show Quantum Leap. His first big TV role was in the 1990s series Zorro. He played Alcalde Ignacio De Soto, the main bad guy who became the Mayor of Los Angeles. The show was filmed in Spain. He also played a pirate named Black Dog in a TV movie called Treasure Island: The Adventure Begins.

Hertzler (standing) as Martok, with Robert O'Reilly as Gowron, at the Riverside Trek Fest in 2014

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Hertzler first appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in its first episode, "Emissary". He played a Vulcan captain. He tried out for DS9 many times but didn't get a part. Then, he auditioned for the Klingon General Martok. At first, he played Martok as calm. But when asked to be angrier, he picked up a chair and threw it! This impressed the people watching, and he got the part.

Martok first appeared in season 4. His character was first a changeling, a shapeshifter pretending to be Martok. After this fake Martok was defeated, the real Martok joined the show in season 5. He played Martok for three seasons, including the final episode. By the end, Martok became the leader of the Klingon Empire. Hertzler loved playing Martok because the role was very physical and had a lot of emotion.

Hertzler played other characters on DS9 too. He was a changeling named Laas in the episode "Chimera". He also played Roy Ritterhouse, an artist, in another episode.

More Star Trek and Other Shows

After DS9 ended, Hertzler played a Hirogen in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Tsunkatse". In this episode, he got to wrestle actress Jeri Ryan. In Star Trek: Enterprise, he played a Klingon lawyer and a Klingon Captain. He often goes to Star Trek and science fiction events. In 2015, Hertzler joined a fan-made film called Star Trek: Axanar.

Outside of Star Trek, Hertzler appeared in the TV movie Pirates of Silicon Valley. He also had guest roles on shows like Six Feet Under, Roswell, and Charmed.

In 1995–96, he toured the country with a play called Dial M for Murder. He also does voice-over work for video games and audio stories. He was the voice of Dr. Grossman in the game BioShock.

Teaching and Theater in New York

From 2005 to 2006, Hertzler played Henry Drummond in the play Inherit the Wind at Cornell University. In 2007, Hertzler moved to Ulysses, New York. He became a teaching associate at Cornell University's theater department. He directed and acted in many plays there. In 2009, he directed A Midsummer Night's Dream outdoors. He also played Lord Capulet in Cornell's Romeo and Juliet. After Cornell, Hertzler kept acting and teaching in New York. He even hosted workshops about acting in Shakespeare plays.

Writing Books and Scripts

Hertzler wrote two Star Trek novels with Jeffrey Lang. They are called Left Hand of Destiny, Book 1 and Left Hand of Destiny, Book 2. These books tell more about Martok's and Worf's adventures after Deep Space Nine.

Hertzler also wrote a movie script called Dancing with Sancho Panza. He got the idea for it from his time in Spain while working on Zorro. In 2016, it was announced that the movie would be directed by Luis Mandoki.

Activism and Politics

Hertzler and actor James Cromwell show their arrest citations at the Crestwood station protest (June 2016)

In 2013, Hertzler ran for a spot on the town council in Ulysses, New York. He got involved in politics because he was worried about hydraulic fracturing (fracking). He feared this way of drilling for natural gas would harm the Finger Lakes region. He also wanted schools in the area to get more money from the state. He was elected and served for two years. In 2016, he was elected again for a four-year term.

In the 2016 election, Hertzler supported Bernie Sanders for President.

Hertzler and fellow Star Trek actor James Cromwell were arrested in 2016. This happened during a protest against gas storage near Seneca Lake. They were part of a group trying to stop the project.

In 2017, Hertzler announced he would run for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. He planned to act as Mark Twain during his campaign. He said this was a tribute to Twain and to actor Hal Holbrook. In September 2017, Hertzler decided to run as an independent candidate. He later withdrew from the race before the election.

Filmography

Television Roles

Film Roles

Video Game Voice Roles