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 on the TV show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He played Martok from 1995 until the show ended in 1999.

Hertzler started acting in the 1970s, mostly on stage. He also appeared in some movies. Before Deep Space Nine, he had guest roles on TV shows. His first big TV part was as Alcalde Ignacio De Soto in the 1990s show Zorro. Besides Deep Space Nine, Hertzler has been in other Star Trek shows. He has also written two Star Trek novels. He often attends Star Trek and science fiction events. Hertzler lives in the Finger Lakes area of New York. He used to teach at Cornell University's theater department. He has also been involved in local politics and written a movie script.

Early Life and Education

Hertzler was born in Savannah, Georgia. His parents were from Port Royal, Pennsylvania. His family comes from German-speaking Amish families. His father, John G. Hertzler, was in the U.S. Air Force. His mother, Eleanor Frances Beaver Hertzler, taught 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 started acting when the drama department asked him to be in a play. They needed a tall person for a role. After college, he earned a master's degree in set design. He also studied law for a year. While in the D.C. area, he worked in theater. He took different jobs to support his acting.

Acting Career Highlights

Hertzler worked on theater projects in the Washington area. His first movie role was Lucas in the horror film The Redeemer in 1978. He also appeared in the movie And Justice for All with Al Pacino in 1979. He worked on Broadway in New York City. In 1981, he moved to San Francisco. There, he joined the American Conservatory Theater (ACT). He acted and directed in many plays, including works by Shakespeare. He also taught at ACT. In 1988, he moved to Southern California and continued his theater work.

Television Roles and Zorro

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

Becoming Martok in Star Trek

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

Hertzler first appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the very first episode. He played a Vulcan captain of a spaceship. He had worked with Patrick Stewart (who played Captain Picard) before. Stewart ran Shakespeare workshops. Hertzler tried out for DS9 many times but did not get a part. One day, he was trying out for another show. The DS9 casting director asked him to read for the Klingon General Martok.

At first, Hertzler played Martok as a calm Klingon. But he was asked to make him angrier. So, he picked up a chair and threw it at a wall! The chair leg got stuck, and he even hurt his thumb. But this impressed the people watching. He got the part of Martok.

Martok first appeared in the fourth season of DS9. His character was first shown as a shapeshifter. This shapeshifter was pretending to be Martok. The writers chose Martok to be the shapeshifter. They thought it would be too easy if the Klingon leader, Gowron, was the imposter. After the fake Martok was defeated, the real Martok was brought into the show. He became a regular character in season 5. This Martok had one eye. Hertzler played Martok for three seasons, including the final episode. By the end of the show, Martok had become the leader of the Klingon Empire. Hertzler loved playing Martok. He said it was an actor's dream role. The character was very physical and had a wide range of emotions. Martok was often seen with the character Worf.

Hertzler played other characters on DS9 too. He played a shapeshifter named Laas. This character met Odo, one of the main characters. Hertzler was worried people would recognize him as Martok, even with different makeup. But it worked out well. He got to act with other main characters that Martok usually didn't meet. He also played Roy Ritterhouse, a painter, in another episode.

After Deep Space Nine

After DS9 ended, Hertzler appeared in Star Trek: Voyager. He played a Hirogen character. This episode also featured the wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Hertzler said he even got to wrestle actress Jeri Ryan, who played Seven of Nine. In Star Trek: Enterprise, he played a Klingon lawyer and a Klingon Captain. He continues to attend Star Trek and science fiction events. In 2015, Hertzler joined a fan-made film called Star Trek: Axanar. He played Captain Samuel Travis.

Outside of Star Trek, Hertzler was in the TV movie Pirates of Silicon Valley. He played director Ridley Scott. He also made guest appearances on shows like Six Feet Under, Roswell, Charmed, and Highlander: The Series.

In 1995–96, he toured with a play called Dial M for Murder. He played Max Halliday, a writer caught in a love triangle.

Hertzler has also done voice acting for video games and audio books. Besides Star Trek games, he was the voice of Dr. Grossman in BioShock. He also narrated an audio book called Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard.

New York Theater and Teaching

From 2005 to 2006, Hertzler played Henry Drummond in the play Inherit the Wind. He performed this at the Geva Theatre Center and Cornell University's Schwartz Center.

In 2007, Hertzler moved to Ulysses, New York. He became a teaching associate at Cornell University's Department of Theatre, Film & Dance. He directed or acted in many plays there until 2010. In 2009, Hertzler directed an outdoor play for the Ithaca Shakespeare Company. It was A Midsummer Night's Dream. He also played Lord Capulet in Cornell's Romeo and Juliet. This play included both students and professional actors.

After leaving Cornell, Hertzler has continued acting and teaching in New York. He has hosted workshops about acting in Shakespeare plays.

Writing Projects

Hertzler has co-written 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 were published by Simon & Schuster. The novels follow Martok's and Worf's adventures after Deep Space Nine. They return to the Klingon homeworld. The books focus a lot on Martok's life.

Hertzler has also written a movie script. It is called Dancing with Sancho Panza. He was inspired by his time in Spain while working on Zorro. In June 2016, it was announced that Luis Mandoki would direct the movie.

Activism and Public Service

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 Ulysses town council. He got involved in politics because of concerns about hydraulic fracturing. This method of drilling for natural gas worried him. He feared it would harm the Finger Lakes region. He also wanted schools in the area to get more state money. He was elected and served on the board for two years. In 2016, he was elected again for a four-year term.

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

Hertzler and fellow Star Trek actor James Cromwell were arrested in June 2016. They were among 19 people protesting outside a gas station in Watkins Glen, New York. They were part of a campaign against underground gas storage in Seneca Lake's salt caverns. This was despite public opposition.

In June 2017, Hertzler announced he would run for a seat in the U.S. House. He wanted to represent New York's 23rd congressional district in the 2018 elections. As part of his campaign, he planned to act as Mark Twain. He wanted to share his ideas through the famous humorist. This was a tribute to Twain, who lived in Elmira, and to actor Hal Holbrook. Holbrook had played Twain on stage for over sixty years. In September 2017, Hertzler decided to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent. He moved forward in the primary election in June 2018. However, he later stopped his campaign before November.

Film and Television Appearances

Television

Film

Video Games