

(written from a Production point of view Real World article

Nicole de Boer (born 20 December 1970; age 49) is the Canadian actress who portrayed Ezri Dax during the seventh season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

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Early career

De Boer was born in Toronto, Canada. She performed in commercials and theater throughout her childhood and made her television debut in a Red Skelton TV special called Freddy the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner at age 11.

When de Boer was seventeen, she landed a regular role on the Canadian drama series 9B, which aired briefly in 1988. She was then given a recurring role on the popular Canadian sketch comedy series Kids in the Hall, on which Star Trek: Voyager guest star Scott Thompson was a regular performer. On this series, de Boer usually played Laura, the girlfriend of the angst-filled teenager Bob, played by Bruce McCulloch.

In 1990, de Boer was seen in the American TV movie The Kissing Place, which starred Star Trek: The Next Generation guest actor David Ogden Stiers. She also starred in the short-lived Canadian series First Resort during this year.

In 1991, de Boer appeared in an episode of the science fiction series Beyond Reality in which she was directed by Allan Kroeker, who later directed her in three episodes of Deep Space Nine. After this initial appearance, de Boer won a recurring role on Beyond Reality as Celia Powell and again worked with Allan Kroeker in at least one other episode. She was also directed by Kroeker in the first two episodes of the horror-mystery series Forever Knight in 1992.

She made her film debut with the lead role in the 1992 horror sequel Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil. That same year, she became a regular on the Canadian series Catwalk, during which time she again worked with Allan Kroeker. Paul Popowich was also a regular on this series, which aired through 1994.

1995-1999

In 1995, de Boer made an appearance on William Shatner's TekWar series. She also appeared in the 1995 science fiction film Jungleground. This was followed by the 1995 comedy National Lampoon's Senior Trip, in which she worked alongside Matt Frewer. The main antagonist of this film was a mad hardcore Star Trek fan. She then reunited with the Kids in the Hall group for the 1996 film Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy, in which she appeared as a groupie for the Dr. Cooper character played by Kevin McDonald.

De Boer was again directed by Allan Kroeker on an episode of PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal in 1996. She then appeared in an episode of Poltergeist: The Legacy with Brian George. Some of the other television series on which de Boer appeared early in her career are Street Legal, C.B.C.'s Magic Hour, E.N.G., and The Outer Limits.

In 1997, de Boer starred in the cult, low-budget Canadian science fiction/horror/thriller film Cube, directed by Vincenzo Natali. That same year, she starred as Yuna in the short-lived science fiction series Deepwater Black.

The following year, de Boer appeared in an episode of The Outer Limits directed by Allan Eastman. She then had a supporting role in the 1999 TV movie Family of Cops III: Under Suspicion. She then began starring in the Canadian television series Dooley Gardens. It was while working on this series that de Boer got the call to audition for the role of Ezri Dax on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Deep Space Nine

In 1998, actress Terry Farrell departed the cast of Deep Space Nine and her character, Jadzia Dax, was killed off. The producers decided to create a new female character who would inherit the Dax symbiont. When it was decided that the new character would be someone who was unprepared to be joined with a symbiont, the producers began looking for a young actress who could convey vulnerability.

It was writer and supervising producer Hans Beimler who asked de Boer to audition for the part. Beimler had worked with de Boer on Beyond Reality and TekWar; Beimler was a producer on both shows. According to de Boer, Beimler (who previously worked on Star Trek: The Next Generation) told her he would one day get her on Star Trek, although she "thought he was just being nice." In 1998, however, Beimler made good on his promise. He asked de Boer to send in a videotaped audition, which led to a live audition for the showrunners in Los Angeles.

Just prior to the audition, de Boer endured some minor embarrassment. Before she started, she was offered a drink of water, which she accepted. She took a gulp of the water just as she was about to meet Rick Berman and Ira Steven Behr, at which time the water went down the wrong pipe and she began coughing and gasping. As she caught her breath and her composure, she thought she had blown the audition. Nonetheless, she was ultimately cast in the role of Ezri Dax. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)

De Boer appeared in all 25 episodes of Deep Space Nine's seventh season, from "Image in the Sand" to the series finale, "What You Leave Behind".

Post-DS9

After Deep Space Nine came to an end in 1999, de Boer starred in the Showtime movie Rated X, a biography of pornography pioneers Jim and Artie Mitchell (Charlie Sheen). She played Karen, Artie Mitchell's second wife; Terry O'Quinn portrayed J.R. Mitchell, father of the Mitchell brothers and Karen's one-time father-in-law.

From 2002 through 2007, de Boer starred as Sarah Bannerman on the USA Network series The Dead Zone, created by Michael Piller (who also co-created DS9 and Star Trek: Voyager) and Shawn Piller. David Ogden Stiers, a fellow Trek alum who de Boer previously worked with on the TV movie The Kissing Place, made frequent appearances on this series as Reverend Purdy.

She later appeared in the Stargate Atlantis episode, "Whispers", portraying Dr. Alison Porter, in which she worked alongside Paul McGillion. Robert Picardo was a regular on this series at the time, but he did not appear in de Boer's episode.

She appeared in the 2010 film Suck, with Malcolm McDowell and Iggy Pop.

Since 2016, she has had a recurring role on the Canadian series, Private Eyes. William Shatner was a guest star in an episode although de Boer did not appear in that episode.

Personal life

De Boer married musician John Kastner in 1999 but they have since divorced. They have a daughter named Summer.

De Boer cites Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation as two of her favorite TV shows.