Aron Eisenberg
Actor
BORN JANUARY 6, 1969 – DIED SEPTEMBER 21, 2019, AGED 50
ARON Eisenberg was best known for playing Nog in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
His mischievous character was the first of the extraterrestrial species Ferengi to join Starfleet and was a regular in all seven series from 1993 to 1999.
Nog had webbed ears, a bulbous head and wrinkled brow – Eisenberg must have spent hundreds of hours with the make-up artists.
His passing prompted a massive outpouring of love among Trekkie fans, with gamers holding a virtual vigil in Star Trek Online as a mark of respect to him.
Born in Hollywood, Eisenberg struggled with his health throughout his life as a result of a defective kidney, something he blamed for his 5ft stature.
He was on dialysis from the age of 13 but following a successful kidney transplant at 17, he started acting in film and TV.
It was a life-changing event. He said: “Casting directors told me, ‘You’re small, you look young, you could work forever’.
“For the first time in my life people were complimenting me on my height.
“People weren’t making fun of me. I wasn’t a sideshow freak.
“Ironically, my kidney disease shaped my career.”
His early roles included The Wonder Years and Tales From The Crypt.
The Los Angeles native also popped up in slasher flicks such as The Horror Show and Playroom.
On stage, he performed in On Borrowed Time and Minor Demons.
But it was his role as Nog that beamed him up to the masses and endeared him to millions.
He underwent a second transplant in 2015.
Following his death, his wife Malissa Longo said: “He was an intelligent, humble, funny, emphatic soul. He sought to live his life with integrity and truth.”