Anton Viktorovich Yelchin (March 11, 1989 – June 19, 2016) was an American actor. Born in the Soviet Union to a Russian Jewish family, he emigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of six months. He began his career as a child actor, appearing as the lead of the mystery drama film Hearts in Atlantis (2001) and a series regular on the Showtime comedy-drama Huff (2004–2006). His fame grew when he guest-starred in a 2004 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Yelchin was born on March 11, 1989, in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union.[1][2] His parents, Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin, were pair figure skaters who were stars of the Leningrad Ice Ballet for 15 years.[3][4] He was Jewish, and his family was subjected to religious and political oppression in the Soviet Union.[3][5][6] Yelchin said that his grandparents "suffered in ways [he] can't even begin to understand under Stalin".[6] Nationally, Yelchin's parents were the third-ranked pair team; they thus qualified for the 1972 Winter Olympics, but were not permitted to participate by the Soviet authorities.[3][4] Yelchin said the reason was unclear: "I don't exactly know what that was – because they were Jewish or because the KGB didn't want them to travel."[7]
Yelchin's family left for the United States in September 1989, when he was six months old, and were thereafter granted refugee status from the Department of State.[3][4] His mother worked as a figure skating choreographer and his father as a figure skating coach, having been Sasha Cohen's first trainer.[8][9] Yelchin's uncle is the children's author and painter Eugene Yelchin.[3] In an article published in the Los Angeles Times in December 1989, Yelchin's mother stated, "A woman came up, saw Anton, and said, 'He's beautiful. He will be actor.'"[3] Yelchin stated that he "wasn't very good" at figure skating, his parents' profession.[10]
Yelchin was born with cystic fibrosis, though the details of his medical condition were only revealed posthumously[13] in 2017 by a foundation established in his name, the Anton Yelchin Foundation.[14][15] The foundation aims to support children and young adults ages 7-27, who were engaged in the arts but also suffering from debilitating disease or disability.[16]
On Showtime's television series Huff, Yelchin played Byrd Huffstodt, the 14-year-old son of the eponymous character (Hank Azaria). In 2004, he guest-starred in the Season Four episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm as Stewart, Cheryl David's cousin and a self-described magician who knows a card trick. In 2006, he guest-starred in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Tru Love", as a boy who falls in love with his teacher. He also appeared in the Criminal Minds episode "Sex, Birth & Death" as Nathan Harris, a boy who has murderous urges toward prostitutes and approaches Dr. Spencer Reid to help him before he actually does kill.
In Alpha Dog, Yelchin played Zack Mazursky, a character based on real-life murder victim Nicholas Markowitz.[8]USA Today's review described Yelchin's performance as "heartbreakingly endearing".[18] After the film's premiere, Markowitz's mother praised his portrayal of her son.[19][failed verification] Yelchin subsequently headlined Fierce People, which received a limited release on September 7, 2007. In 2008, he played the title role in Charlie Bartlett, a film about a wealthy teenager in a public high school.[20] He also appeared alongside the Russian duo t.A.T.u. in the film You and I (which was filmed in Moscow during the summer of 2007).[21]
Yelchin again played the role of Chekov in the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness. He played the lead in the thriller Odd Thomas (2013).[29] Yelchin reprised his role as Chekov in Star Trek Beyond, which was released in 2016.
Yelchin enjoyed playing guitar, and was a fan of acoustic blues music. He once played for a punk band called The Hammerheads.[5][34] His music was used in the soundtrack of Love Antosha, a documentary released after his death.
He was interested in photography. In January 2018, an exhibit of his photography titled Anton Yelchin: Provocative Beauty was displayed at New York City's De Buck Gallery.[35] Yelchin's photography was critically acclaimed by various magazines around the world as exhibits continued.[36]
Yelchin briefly dated his co-star Kristen Stewart when they were filming Fierce People; after his death, she described him as her "first heartbreak".[37]
Death
After Yelchin failed to arrive at a rehearsal on June 18, 2016, he was found dead by friends at around 1:10 a.m. that night.[38][39] He was pinned between his Jeep Grand Cherokee and a brick pillar gate post outside his house in Studio City, Los Angeles.[40][41][42] As Yelchin apparently got out of his car and went to check his locked gate for mail, the vehicle rolled back down his driveway, which was on a steep incline, and trapped him against the pillar and a security fence. He was pronounced dead at the scene;[43][33] the Los Angeles County Coroner's office identified the cause of death as "blunt traumatic asphyxia" and stated that there were "no obvious suspicious circumstances involved".[44][45][46]
Tributes
Yelchin's temporary gravestone at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery was later replaced with a bronze statue of his likeness.
Following Yelchin's death, the producers of Star Trek stated that the role of Chekov would not be recast and that the character would be written out of any subsequent Star Trek films. Star Trek Beyond was dedicated to Yelchin and Leonard Nimoy, who had also died since the previous film.
Yelchin was memorialized in the video game Star Trek Online. He received a memorial plaque alongside several other late Star Trek actors, including Nimoy, James Doohan, and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. A Starfleet vessel named "The Yelchin" is mentioned twice in the Star Trek: Discovery episode "Unification III" (S03E07) and again in the season four finale "Coming Home" (S04E13).[51][52]
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), the manufacturer of the Grand Cherokee, was aware of 2014 and 2015 models having a high rate of rollaway incidents due to a gearshift design that could make it difficult for the driver to determine whether the vehicle was in park or still in gear. FCA had already recalled all 2014–15 Grand Cherokees for this concern in April 2016, but the software patch to repair the vehicles did not reach dealers until the week of Yelchin's death. Following his death, FCA accelerated the recall campaign and took steps to get the affected Jeeps repaired more quickly than originally planned.[54]
In August 2016, Yelchin's parents announced through their attorney that they were planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler.[55] The dealership from which Yelchin purchased the vehicle stated that he was responsible for his own death, because he had allegedly "misused" and "modified" the vehicle, and asked to be removed from the lawsuit.[56] In March 2018, it was announced that Yelchin's family and Fiat Chrysler had confidentially settled out of court.[57]
^ abcdefSlate, Libby (December 22, 1989). "Former Soviet Skate Stars Top Bill at Knott's". Los Angeles Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2007. Then too there was religious and political oppression. In 1972, as the nationally third-ranked pair team, they qualified for the Olympics but were not permitted to go because of their religion.
^ abLaGambina, Gregg (2009). "The Wanderlust of Anton Yelchin". Flaunt. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2010. The Star of David has been in my family for a long time, and obviously I'm Jewish.
^"About Anton Yelchin". Anton Yelchin Foundation. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018. Anton did not share details about his medical challenges with the public, but he suffered from Cystic Fibrosis from an early age.
^Siegel, Tatiana (August 8, 2007). "Yelchin sets course for Trek". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 31, 2007. Retrieved August 27, 2007.
^Yelchin, Anton (January 30, 2012). "Crazy In Love — Anton Yelchin Interview". SteveCummins.com (Interview). Interviewed by Steve Cummins. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
