Anton Yelchin
About
Biography
Biography
From the time he decided to perform onscreen at four years old, Russian-born actor Anton Yelchin was on the fast track to stardom starting with his breakthrough role in "Hearts in Atlantis" (2001). Though he had his start on the big screen, Yelchin earned his stripes on television, landing several guest spots on long-running shows before being cast as a series regular on the short-lived comedic drama, "Huff" (Showtime, 2004-06). Despite the critical acclaim for the show and a few awards for co-star Blythe Danner, "Huff" was finished after only two seasons. Undeterred, Yelchin continued to rack up an impressive number of credits in several television and feature projects, though true celebrity still eluded him. But that all changed when Yelchin scored the role of Pavel Chekov in the blockbuster feature remake of "Star Trek" (2009), which practically guaranteed that the young actor instant stardom. The handsome young actor went on to work in several high profile productions, including Jim Jarmusch's vampire drama "Only Lovers Left Alive" (2013) and the cult horror hit "Green Room" (2015), as well as sequels to his breakthrough hit. His death in a freak car accident at his home in Studio City, California on June 19, 2016 at the age of 27 shocked friends and fans alike.
Born on March 11, 1989, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Yelchin was the son of professional figure skaters Viktor and Irina Yelchin. Despite having been popular performers with the Leningrad Ice Ballet, Yelchin's parents -- both Soviet Jews who were denied the chance to represent their country at the 1972 Olympic Games due to discrimination -- emigrated to the United States soon after their son was born, where they were granted asylum as political refugees. Settling in Tarzana, CA, his parents found work as figure skating coaches, while Yelchin declared his intentions of becoming an actor when he was four years old. With his parent's encouragement, Yelchin began taking acting classes. By the time he was 10, he made his onscreen debut in a 2000 episode of the long-running medical drama, "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009).
The role soon led to him landing his first big break in the drama "Hearts in Atlantis" (2001). Adapted from a novella by Stephen King, the film performed disappointingly at the box office, but earned Yelchin critical praise for his portrayal of the fatherless young protagonist, Bobby Garfield, who befriends an otherworldly older man (Anthony Hopkins) with supernatural gifts. Yelchin immediately followed with smaller parts in "15 Minutes" (2001) and "Along Came a Spider" (2001), and continued turning in guest spots on hit shows like "The Practice" (ABC, 1997-2004), "Without A Trace" (CBS, 200209 ) and "NYPD Blue" (ABC, 1993-2005). Continuing his steady employment on the small screen, Yelchin had an amusing appearance on "Curb Your Enthusiasm"(HBO, 2000- ), which he followed by starring in the made-for-cable movie "Jack" (Showtime, 2004), a coming-of-age drama about an adolescent dealing with his burgeoning sexual feelings while his parents go through a divorce.
Yelchin graduated to regular series status when he landed on the short-lived cult favorite, "Huff," playing the miscreant son of a Los Angeles-based psychiatrist (Hank Azaria) who is forced to deal with all manner of traumas after a 15-year-old gay patient commits suicide in his office. Though "Huff" lasted only two years, Yelchin received considerable praise for his performance on the award-winning show. Alongside episodes of "Criminal Minds" (CBS, 2005- ), and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (NBC/USA, 2001-2011), the young actor returned to the feature world with a turn in the coming of age drama, "House of D" (2004), in which he played an adolescent boy whose friendship with a mentally challenged man (Robin Williams) leads to unfortunate circumstances. In "Fierce People" (2006), he was the adventurous son of a drug- and alcohol-addled Manhattan socialite (Diane Lane) who is forced into living with her billionaire paramour (Donald Sutherland).
Yelchin continued to rise with his starring turn in the independent coming-of-age comedy "Charlie Bartlett" (2008), in which he was a public high school student kicked out of every possible boarding school who sets up his own psychiatric practice -- complete with dispensing drugs -- for the youthful populace. He was set for stardom when he was announced to play a young Pavel Chekov, the Russian navigator aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, in J.J. Abrams' highly anticipated reboot of "Star Trek" (2009). Shortly after that sci-fi movie became a blockbuster, he appeared within the genre again for "Terminator Salvation," which received a mixed reception.
Continuing to be incredibly busy, Yelchin was featured in a slew of 2011 movies, including the romance film "Like Crazy," the CGI-heavy cartoon-inspired "The Smurfs" and a lively remake of the horror comedy "Fright Night," co-starring Colin Farrell and David Tennant. In 2013, he returned to the Enterprise for "Star Trek Into Darkness," another top-tier installment in the franchise, and reprised his role as Clumsy Smurf in "The Smurfs 2," which was critically lambasted but made a killing at the box office. In addition to starring in the indie thriller "Odd Thomas" (2013), Yelchin co-starred with Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston in Jim Jarmusch's stylish vampire drama "Only Lovers Left Alive" (2013) and William H. Macy's musical drama "Rudderless" (2014). Co-starring roles in the romantic comedy "5 to 7" (2014) and Michael Almereyda's Shakespeare adaptation "Cymbeline" (2014) were followed by leads in the comedy horror film "Burying the Ex" (2014), Paul Schrader's psychological thriller "Dying of the Light" (2014) and neo-western "Broken Horses" (2015). His lead role opposite Patrick Stewart in the punk rock-set horror film "Green Room" (2015) garnered extremely positive reviews, and he completed work on his third Star Trek film, "Star Trek Beyond" (2016) and indie dysfunctional family drama "We Don't Belong Here" (2016). On June 19, 2016, after he didn't show up to a planned rehearsal, friends discovered Anton Yelchin outside his home in Studio City, California, pinned between his car and the security gate; authorities reported that apparently Yelchin had left his still-running car, which then accidentally rolled down the steep driveway. He was pronounced dead later that day. He was 27 years old.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
2000
Appeared in the ABC TV musical "Geppetto"
2000
Made his feature acting debut in "A Man Is Mostly Water"
2000
Made his TV debut with a guest role on "ER"
2001
Re-teamed with Boorem for "Hearts in Atlantis"
2001
Cast in bit part in "15 Minutes," starring Robert De Niro and Edward Burns
2001
Played title role in the festival-screened "Delivering Milo"
2001
Cast as the son of a Russian diplomat in the thriller "Along Came a Spider"; first screen pairing with actress Mika Boorem
2002
Cast in the Sci Fi Channel miniseries "Taken," produced by Steven Spielberg
2004
Was cast as Hank Azaria's son on the Showtime series "Huff"
2005
Starred in David Duchovny's directorial debut "House of D"
2007
Co-starred with Emile Hirsch and Justin Timberlake in the Nick Cassavetes true crime thriller "Alpha Dog"
2008
Portrayed the title role of a wealthy teenager in "Charlie Bartlett," opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Hope Davis
2009
Played a teenaged Kyle Reese in ill-advised "Terminator" reboot "Terminator Salvation"
2009
Was cast as Pavel Chekov, the Starship Enterprise's navigator, in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot
2011
Starred in the remake of "Fright Night"
2011
Voiced the character Clumsy in feature adaptation of "The Smurfs"
2011
Cast opposite Felicity Jones in the romantic drama "Like Crazy"
2011
Played Mel Gibson's son in "The Beaver," directed by Jodie Foster
2013
Voiced Clumsy again for "The Smurfs 2"
2013
Reprised Chekov role in "Star Trek Into Darkness"
2015
Co-starred with Imogen Poots in crime thriller "Green Room"
2016
Reprised Chekov for the final time in "Star Trek: Beyond"
2016
Voiced Jim Lake Jr. in Guillermo del Toro's animated series "Trollhunters"
2018
Alongside Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy, starred posthumously in Cory Finley's "Thoroughbreds"
Family
