Anton Yelchin

Anton Viktorovich Yelchin (Russian: Антон Викторович Ельчин) was an American actor of Russian-Jewish descent. Born on March 11, 1989, in Leningrad, which is now known as Saint Petersburg, he emigrated to the United States at just six months old. Yelchin's acting career began in his childhood, notably playing the lead in the drama film 'Hearts in Atlantis' (2001) and a series regular in Showtime's comedy-drama 'Huff' (2004–2006). Yelchin gained more recognition in 2009 when he portrayed Pavel Chekov in the blockbusters 'Star Trek' reboot and Kyle Reese in 'Terminator Salvation'. He further reprised his role as Chekov in 'Star Trek Into Darkness' (2013) and 'Star Trek Beyond' (2016).

Yelchin also took up varied roles in independent and lower-profile films, such as the 2011 remake of 'Fright Night', the neo-noir 'The Driftless Area' (2015), and the gripping thriller 'Green Room' (2015). As a voice actor, he lent his voice to Clumsy Smurf in the live-action 'Smurfs' (2011–2013) films and to the lead role in the animated Netflix series 'Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia' (2016–2018). His acting career was unfortunately cut short by an accidental death in 2016, when he was fatally injured by his SUV at the age of 27. Despite this tragic end, his work continues to be cherished and respected in the film industry.