J G Hertzler

Early life and education

Hertzler was born in Savannah, Georgia. His parents were from Port Royal, Pennsylvania, and his family is descended from German-speaking Amish families. His father John G. Hertzler served in the U.S. Air Force, and his mother Eleanor Frances Beaver Hertzler was a Latin and French teacher. His family lived in cities around the world including: St. Joe, Missouri; El Paso, Texas; and Casablanca in Morocco. He grew up mostly in the Washington, D.C. area, and attended Bucknell University, playing linebacker on their football squad. While there, he got into acting when the drama department recruited him for a production of Marat/Sade as they were looking for a big guy for one of the roles. After graduating in political science in 1972, he got his master's in set design at the University of Maryland, and attended law school for a year at American University. While he was in the DC area, he worked in the federal government, including with the Nixon Administration for the National Environmental Policy Act, and took an assortment of jobs to practice theatre including a waiter at a dinner theater, a bartender, and a cab driver.

Acting career

Hertzler worked in the Washington area on theatre projects. On the movie screen, he portrayed Lucas in the horror film The Redeemer: Son of Satan (also known as Class Reunion Massacre), which was released in 1978. Hertzler also had a role in the feature film And Justice for All which starred Al Pacino, released in 1979. He also worked in New York City on the Broadway production The Bacchae as King Pentheus. In 1981, he moved to San Francisco to join the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) where he acted and directed in a number of productions including The Admirable Crichton, Richard II, Dial M for Murder, and a number of Shakespeare productions. He was an instructor with ACT, and had also worked with other theater productions such as Medea with the Cincinnati Playhouse. He moved to Southern California in 1988 and continued theatre work there.

His first notable guest role on television was in 1990 on the Quantum Leap episode "The Sea Bride – June 3, 1954". His first major television role was in the 1990s series Zorro as Alcalde Ignacio De Soto, the antagonist character who replaces Ramone as the Alcalde (Mayor) of Los Angeles in the third and fourth seasons. The show was filmed in a studio lot outside of Madrid, Spain, and was broadcast on The Family Channel. He was also involved in a television movie called Treasure Island: The Adventure Begins where he played a pirate called Black Dog. Treasure Island was broadcast to go along with a promotion for the casino resort in Las Vegas.

Hertzler's first involvement in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was in the series' pilot episode "Emissary" as the Vulcan captain of the Federation starship Saratoga. In an interview with Startrek.com, Hertzler said he had worked with Patrick Stewart at the Paramount Studios lot where Stewart ran some Shakespeare workshops. He would later audition for DS9 multiple times, but did not receive any roles. He was at the Paramount Studios auditioning for another series when DS9 casting director Ron Surma had him read for Klingon General Martok. At first, Hertzler portrayed Martok as a mild-mannered Klingon, but when he was asked to make him angrier, he picked up a chair and threw it into a wall. The chair's leg stuck briefly and he said he had also inadvertently ripped his thumbnail causing it to bleed, but it had impressed the auditors and he landed the part. Martok debuted in the season 4 premiere "The Way of the Warrior" followed by the season 5 premiere "Apocalypse Rising". His character was killed off, but Hertzler said the writers thought that making the Klingon Gowron to be a clone was "too pat or too easy", so they later revealed that the Martok that was killed was just a changeling (shapeshifter) Dominion impostor. The writers then brought in the real Martok as a recurring character starting in season 5, during which he portrayed a one-eyed Klingon. He would play Martok for three seasons including the finale where the fate of his character was left open. Hertzler describes the part as an actor's dream because of its physicality and range. The character has been involved in many aspects of Deep Space Nine including frequently interacting with Worf.

Hertzler played other characters in DS9, including a changeling named Laas, in the episode "Chimera", who interacts with main character Odo. In an interview with Little Review, Hertzler said that he was concerned he would be recognized as Martok despite the makeup and character change, but it worked out okay. Credited as Garman Hertzler for the episode, he said that he got a chance to interact with some of the lead characters that Martok would not encounter, especially the ones played by Nana Visitor and Rene Auberjonois. In portraying Laas, Hertzler said he tried to act like William Shatner, but with a higher pitch. Another guest character he did was Roy Ritterhouse, a painter/sketcher in the season 6 episode "Far Beyond the Stars".

Following the end of DS9, Hertzler played Hirogen in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Tsunkatse", which was noted for featuring pro wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. In the episode, he and The Rock are conscripted alien fighters. Hertzler said that he also got to wrestle actress Jeri Ryan who played Seven of Nine. In Star Trek: Enterprise, he played a Klingon lawyer in the episode "Judgment" and a Klingon Captain in the episode "Borderland". He made appearances at Star Trek and science fiction conventions and events. In 2015, Hertzler joined the cast on the fan-funded short film Star Trek: Axanar as Captain Samuel Travis of the Federation.

Outside of the Star Trek world, Hertzler appeared in the television film Pirates of Silicon Valley where he portrayed director Ridley Scott. He made guest appearances on Six Feet Under, Roswell, Charmed, and Highlander: The Series.

In 1995–96, he was involved in a national tour for the stage theatre production of Dial M for Murder, in which he portrayed Max Halliday, an American writer who gets involved in a love triangle.

Hertzler has been involved in voice-over for video games and audio productions. Outside some Star Trek titles, he did the voice-over for the intro sequence of 3DO's Might and Magic IX, and was the voice of Dr. Grossman in BioShock and Deathstroke and Ares in Injustice: Gods Among Us. Hertzler narrated the audio book entitled Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard, written by Star Trek linguist Lawrence Schoen.

New York theater and teaching

During the 2005–2006 season, Hertzler played the role of Henry Drummond in productions of Inherit the Wind at Geva Theatre Center and Cornell University's Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.

In 2007, Hertzler moved to Ulysses, New York, and became a Resident Professional Teaching Associate (RPTA) in the Cornell University Department of Theatre, Film & Dance, where he has directed or performed in a number of productions through the 2010 season. In 2009, Hertzler directed an outdoor production of A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Ithaca Shakespeare Company at the F.R. Newman Arboretum. He also portrayed Lord Capulet in Cornell's production of Romeo and Juliet, which involved students as well as professional actors.

After Cornell, Hertzler has continued to do acting and teaching in the New York area, including hosting a workshop about Shakespeare acting.

Writing

Hertzler co-authored with novelist Jeffrey Lang two Star Trek novels, Left Hand of Destiny, Book 1, and Left Hand of Destiny, Book 2. which were published by Simon & Schuster. The novels follow Martok's and Worf's adventures following Deep Space Nine as they return to Q'onos, with much of the focus on Martok's life.

Hertzler has also written an original screenplay, Dancing with Sancho Panza, inspired by his time in Spain when he worked on Zorro. In June 2016, the announcement was made that the screenplay will be directed by Luis Mandoki with an anticipated release date of November 2017.

Political life and activism

In 2013, Hertzler ran for a position on the Ulysses town council His involvement in politics was partly because of the issue of hydraulic fracturing and concerns that the method of drilling for natural gas would destroy the Finger Lakes region. He also wanted the region's schools to get more state aid. He was elected and served on the board for a two-year term. In 2016, he was elected to the town council board for a four-year term extending to 2020.

Hertzler and fellow actor James Cromwell were among 19 people arrested for disorderly conduct during a protest outside a Crestwood Midstream compressor station in Watkins Glen, New York, on June 6, 2016. They were involved in the "We Are Seneca Lake" civil disobedience campaign against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission green-lighting underground gas storage in Seneca Lake's salt caverns, despite public opposition.

On June 8, 2017, Hertzler announced his candidacy as a U.S. House Representative for New York's 23rd congressional district in the 2018 elections. As part of his campaign appearances, he plans to act "in the persona of Mark Twain", to present his ideas "through the brilliant humorist for all ages". He stated that this was a tribute both to Twain, who resided once in Elmira, and to actor Hal Holbrook, who had portrayed Twain on stage for more than six decades.