Anton Yelchin, known for various roles on film and TV, but famous for playing Chekov in the recent Star Trek movies, has died in a tragic accident at the age of 27.
Yelchin was born Anton Viktorovich Damita Jo Yelchin in 1989 in Leningrad to his parents, who performed in the Leningrad Ice Ballet for years, The family moved to the United States in September the year he was born as political refugees. Yelchin played guitar in a punk band and enjoyed the instrument. Though even before that, his main focus was acting.
He began performing age 9 in indie movie A Man Is Mostly Water, and won various roles in movies such as Along Came A Spider, Hearts In Atlantis, House Of D, and Only Lovers Left Alive. 2006's Alpha Dog helped him break out into different types of roles, and he would go on to balance independent fare such as Charlie Bartlett and Like Crazy with big franchise films including Terminator Salvation and J.J. Abrams' rebooted Star Trek series. He also worked steadily on television, in shows including ER, Curb Your Enthusiasm and NYPD Blue.
More recently, he dug into his punk band roots to play Pat in Green Room and will be back on our screens next month as Chekov in Star Trek Beyond.
Yelchin was always a charismatic and well-liked presence on set, and his sudden death comes as a shock, leading to many tributes from previous collaborators and friends, including his Like Crazy director Drake Doreamus: “Anton was one of a kind. Such an old soul who was one of the most sincere but also funniest people I have ever met. He taught me what being a humble and hard working artist is all about. His laugh was the best sound in the world, it was so contagious and comforting. He was always up to something to make you laugh especially if you were getting frustrated or being too serious. Anton changed my life in so many ways and I’ll never forget him. Everybody in the Like Crazy family wants to send their love to Anton’s family on this incredibly devastating day. Laphroaig is in my glass my friend. Love you Anton.”