Bruce Horak (born August 5, 1974) is a Canadian artist[1] and television and stage[2] actor, known for portraying Hemmer on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Horak is the first legally blind actor to portray a character in the Star Trek franchise.[3][4]

Early years

Horak was born in Calgary, Alberta. At age 18 months, he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, which caused him to lose his right eye and over 90% of the vision in his left eye.[3] Horak's father, Karl Horak, was also visually impaired, having lost his left eye to disease.[5] Horak developed an interest in writing and theater in third grade, when a theater company came to his school and put on a play.

Horak attended at Mount Royal University, where he studied theater. He also trained at the Loose Moose Theatre in Calgary.

Theatre

One of Horak's earliest plays was What You Can't See, in 1999, about a boy who hides his visual impairment. In 2001, he co-created The Canada Show, a comedic attempt to distill the history of Canada into a one-hour space. In 2005, he co-created the one-man show This is Cancer, described as a dark comedy. Horak also stars as Cancer in the play.[6] He appeared in the role of Jake in a production of Evil Dead: The Musical in 2009.[7] In 2019, he co-created Goblin: Macbeth, a play which imagines goblins finding the works of Shakespeare, and attempting to act out a play without fully understanding what they are doing.[8]

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

On Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Horak plays Hemmer, the Aenar chief engineer aboard the Enterprise. The Aenar are a blind race in Star Trek, closely related to the Andorians, and the producers wanted a visually impaired actor to play the role of Hemmer.[9] Horak, who describes himself as a Star Trek fan, eagerly auditioned for the role and won it. When Horak accepted the role, he was told Hemmer's character would have a limited run in Strange New Worlds. He appeared as Hemmer in six of the ten episodes of Season 1. He later appeared in one Season 2 episode in both a pre-recorded/flashbackscene with Uhura and as an illusory Hemmer. In addition to Hemmer, Horak also played the Klingon commander General Garkog in Season 2's "Subspace Rhapsody".[10]

Other artistic endeavors

Horak has painted hundreds of portraits, and has an aim to paint one thousand of them. In one of his plays, "Assassinating Thomson", he paints a portrait of the audience during the play.[11] His paintings have been showcased at several Canadian galleries.

Horak has also recorded an album with Canadian artist Onalea Gilbertson under the name The Rail Birds. The album, called Intensive Care, was made available online in 2020.[12]

Personal life

Horak was married to Rebecca Northan, who he met while at Mount Royal. They did not remain married, but she has been his co-collaborator on many of his plays.

As of 2022, he resides in Stratford.[8]

Filmography

Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
2010 Warehouse 13 Philo Farnsworth 1 episode
2022 In the Dark Brendan 2 episodes
2022-23Star Trek: Strange New WorldsHemmer, Additional Roles8 episodes
2023TransplantAdam Viri2 episodes
2023Family History Mysteries: Buried PastClarkTelevision movie
Other
YearTitleRoleNotes
2009GitchGitchShort
2023 Star Trek: Very Short Treks Hemmer (voice) 2 episodes

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated WorkResult
2000Betty AwardOutstanding New PlayWhat You Can't See / Quest TheatreNominated[13]
2007Betty AwardOutstanding Performance by an Actor in a Comedy or MusicalThis is Cancer / Alberta Theatre ProjectsWon[13]
2009Betty AwardOutstanding Performance by an Actor in a Comedy or MusicalEvil Dead – The Musical / Ground Zero Theatre / Hit and Myth ProductionsWon[13]
2011Betty AwardOutstanding Performance by an Actor in a Comedy or MusicalThe Wizard of Oz / Alberta Theatre ProjectsNominated[13]
2014Betty AwardOutstanding New PlayLegend Has It / Rebecca Northan, with Renee Amber, Bruce Horak, Mark Meer, Jamie Northan, and Sean BowieNominated[13]
2019Betty AwardOutstanding Performance by an Actor in a DramaAssassinating Thomson / Lunchbox Theatre and Inside Out TheatreNominated[13]
2022Betty AwardOutstanding Performance by an Actor in a DramaRichard III / The Shakespeare Company and Hit and MythWon[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Painting without eyesight: how one Calgary artist made the best of a cancer diagnosis". Calgary Journal. April 2, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Shakespeare Company takes on the tale of Richard III". Calgary. April 20, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Meet Bruce Horak, Star Trek's first blind actor, playing Hemmer on Strange New Worlds". CBC. May 16, 2022.
  4. ↑ "10 Characters Confirmed To Appear In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds". ScreenRant. May 4, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Interview (with SPOILERS): Star Trek's First Blind Actor on Cancer, Family, and Facing Death". Original Cin. June 30, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Actor lightens up darkness of cancer with one-man show". "The Globe and Mail". August 10, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Evil Dead: The Musical lacks the camp of its source material". The Georgia Straight. October 23, 2009.
  8. 1 2 "The magic of Macbeth: Shakespeare Company brews up a goblin version of the murderous king". Calgary Herald. March 11, 2022.
  9. ↑ "'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Actor Bruce Horak Explores Devastating Penultimate Season 1 Episode". Hollywood Reporter. June 30, 2022.
  10. ↑ Romano, Nick (August 3, 2023). "'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Hemmer actor had secret cameo in musical". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  11. ↑ "All About 'Strange New Worlds' Star Bruce Horak's Other Career: He'll Paint a Portrait of YOU". heavy.com. November 28, 2022.
  12. ↑ "The Rail Birds - Onalea".
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Betty Mitchell Awards Past Nominees (official website)
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