Max Grodénchik (born November 12, 1952), also known as Michael Grodénchik, is an American stage, film, and television actor, best known for his role as Rom, a recurring character on the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Biography Born to a Jewish family in New York City, Grodénchik worked in theater during the 1980s as Michael Grodénchik, where his performances received notice. Of his 1980 performance in John O'Keefe's All Night Long, Sarasota Herald-Tribune art reviewer Marcia Corbino wrote that Grodénchik was an intriguing actor who had "an enchanting, mobile comic face on which aberrant emotions flicker, spread, retreat, retrench and explode with a single instant."
Television
Grodénchik is best known for his portrayal of the character Rom in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He had previously auditioned for the role of Rom's brother Quark, but the role was given to Armin Shimerman. Grodénchik was instead hired to play the "Pit Boss" in charge of the gambling at Quark's Bar in the pilot episode, and his role gradually expanded from there. Shimerman and Grodénchik appeared on opposite teams on the short-lived British science fiction game show Space Cadets in 1997.
Grodénchik played baseball in high school, and considered a career in professional baseball before deciding to become an actor. In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Take Me Out to the Holosuite", Grodénchik's character Rom is the clumsiest player on his team; during filming of the episode, the naturally right-handed Grodénchik played left-handed, as it was the only way he could convincingly play baseball poorly.
Grodénchik played Sovak and Par Lenor in Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes "Captain's Holiday" and "The Perfect Mate", respectively. He is famous for being an expert on the Rules of Acquisition and can quote them by memory. He played Gint, the writer of those rules and the first Grand Nagus, in a dream sequence involving Quark.
In spring 2007, Grodénchik attended the annual Vulcan Spock Days ceremony.
Voice work In summer 2018, Grodénchik reprised the roles of Rom and Sovak in Star Trek Onlines Deep Space Nine-themed expansion pack Victory Is Life.
Personal life and family Grodénchik lives with his wife and daughter in Austria, in the small hamlet of Nußbach in the county Kirchdorf an der Krems."Der Außerirdische aus der Bronx", an interview with M. Grodénchik by Peter Menasse, published in NU (#69), page 12
Grodénchik's brother Barry Grodenchik is a former New York State Assemblyman and Deputy Borough President of Queens.
Episodes in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"Emissary" "A Man Alone" "The Nagus" "Vortex" "The Homecoming" "Rules of Acquisition" "Necessary Evil" "The House of Quark" "Heart of Stone" "Prophet Motive" "Through the Looking Glass" "Little Green Men" "Our Man Bashir" "Bar Association" "Body Parts" "The Assignment" "The Ascent"
"Facets" "Doctor Bashir, I Presume?" "Ferengi Love Songs" "Call to Arms" "Behind the Lines" "Favor the Bold" "Sacrifice of Angels" "You Are Cordially Invited..." "The Magnificent Ferengi" "Profit and Lace" "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" "Treachery, Faith, and the Great River" "The Siege of AR-558" "It's Only a Paper Moon" "The Emperor's New Cloak" "The Dogs of War" "Family Business"
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1981 Chu Chu and the Philly Flash Frankie 1982 Out Arnold / Boy 1989 Night Court Norman Snite Episode: "The Cop and The Lady" (Airdate: October 18, 1989) 1990-1992 Star Trek: The Next Generation Sovak Episode: "Captain's Holiday" (Airdate: April 2, 1990)Par LenorEpisode: "The Perfect Mate" (Airdate: April 27, 1992) 1991 Barton Fink Clapper boy 1991 The Rocketeer Wilmer, Wounded Robber 1991 The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw Bailiff TV Movie 1992 Sister Act Ernie 1993 Rising Sun Club Manager 1993 Doorways Roth TV Movie 1993-1999 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rom 34 episodes 1994 Tales from the Crypt Bic Season 6 Episode 6 "The Bribe" 1995 Apollo 13 FIDO Gold 1995 Here Come the Munsters Norman Hyde TV Movie 1995 Rumpelstiltskin Rumpelstiltskin 1998 Star Trek: Insurrection Trill Ensign scenes deleted 2000 The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle Horse Spy 2003 ER Street Vendor Episode 9:18 Finders Keepers 2003 Bruce Almighty Control Room Operator 2007 King of California Leonid 2011 CSI Pawnbroker Season 11, Episode 21: Cello and Goodbye 2018 Glossary of Broken Dreams Biological Male 2019 Strawberry Moments Filmstar 2020 Unbelievable!!!!! Paramedic Yacky 2021 Masking Threshold Officer 2 2023Star Trek: Lower DecksRom (voice) 2024 Hacking at Leaves Uncle Sam
References
External links
Biography on StarTrek.com
"Der Außerirdische aus der Bronx": interview with Max Grodénchik in the Austrian Jewish Culture magazine NU with information about his personal backstory (in German)