Anton Yelchin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anton Yelchin
Yelchin in 2011
Born	Anton Viktorovich Yelchin (1989-03-11)March 11, 1989 Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia)
Died	June 19, 2016(2016-06-19) (aged 27) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Blunt traumatic asphyxia after being crushed by his Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV
Resting place	Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2000–2016
Relatives	Eugene Yelchin (uncle)

Anton Viktorovich Yelchin (Russian: Антон Викторович Ельчин, IPA: [ɐnˈton ˈvʲiktərəvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtɕɪn]; March 11, 1989 – June 19, 2016) was an American actor. He was born in the Soviet Union to a Russian Jewish family. When he was just six months old, he moved to the United States with his parents.

Anton started his acting career as a child. He played the main role in the mystery drama film Hearts in Atlantis (2001). He was also a regular on the TV show Huff (2004–2006). In 2009, Anton got bigger movie roles. He played Lieutenant Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek reboot movie. He also played Kyle Reese in Terminator Salvation. He played Chekov again in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016).

Anton often worked on independent films. He starred in the romantic drama Like Crazy (2011) and the 2011 remake of Fright Night. He also appeared in Odd Thomas (2013) and Green Room (2015). As a voice actor, he was the voice of Clumsy Smurf in Smurfs movies (2011–2013). He also voiced James "Jim" Lake Jr. in the Netflix series Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia (2016–2018). Anton continued acting until his accidental death in 2016. He was sadly injured by his SUV.

Early Life and Moving to America

Anton Yelchin was born on March 11, 1989, in Leningrad, which was part of the Soviet Union. His parents, Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin, were famous pair figure skaters. They were stars of the Leningrad Ice Ballet for 15 years.

Anton's family moved to the United States in September 1989. Anton was only six months old at the time. They were given refugee status by the U.S. government. His mother became a figure skating choreographer. His father worked as a figure skating coach. He was even Sasha Cohen's first coach. Anton's uncle, Eugene Yelchin, is a children's author and painter.

Anton once said he "wasn't very good" at figure skating, even though his parents were pros.

Anton attended the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies in Tarzana, California. In 2007, he started studying film at the University of Southern California.

Anton's Acting Career

Anton Yelchin started his acting career with a film called A Man Is Mostly Water. Early on, he also appeared in movies like Delivering Milo and Along Came a Spider. He was also in the TV miniseries Taken and the film House of D.

In 2001, Anton played Bobby Garfield in Hearts in Atlantis. For this role, he won a Young Artist Award in 2002 for Best Performance by a Young Actor.

On the TV show Huff, Anton played Byrd Huffstodt. Byrd was the 14-year-old son of the main character. In 2004, he was a guest star in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. He also appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent in 2006. He was also in an episode of Criminal Minds.

In the movie Alpha Dog, Anton played Zack Mazursky. This character was based on a real person. His performance was described as "heartbreakingly endearing". After this, he starred in Fierce People in 2007. In 2008, he played the main role in Charlie Bartlett. This film was about a rich teenager in a public high school.

Anton Yelchin at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival.

In May 2009, Anton had supporting roles in two big movies. He played teenage navigator Pavel Chekov in Star Trek. He also played a young Kyle Reese in Terminator Salvation.

In 2011, Anton played Charley Brewster in the movie Fright Night. He also starred in the romantic drama Like Crazy. He voiced Clumsy Smurf in The Smurfs and its sequel. He also voiced Shun in Studio Ghibli's From Up on Poppy Hill.

Anton played Chekov again in the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness. He also had the lead role in the thriller Odd Thomas (2013). He was in the horror comedy Burying the Ex and the romantic film 5 to 7 (both in 2014). In 2015, Anton starred in the independent horror film Green Room.

Anton finished filming Star Trek Beyond shortly before he passed away. This movie was released on July 22, 2016. He also completed several independent films that were released after his death. Anton also recorded the voice of Jim in Guillermo del Toro's Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia.

Anton's Hobbies

Anton Yelchin loved playing the guitar. He said it made him feel happy. He was a big fan of acoustic blues music. He even played in a punk band called The Hammerheads.

He was also very interested in photography. In January 2018, an exhibit of his photos called Anton Yelchin: Provocative Beauty was shown in New York City. His photography has been praised by magazines around the world.

Anton's Passing

Anton Yelchin sadly passed away on June 19, 2016. He was 27 years old. His friends found him after he didn't show up for a rehearsal. He was pinned between his Jeep Grand Cherokee and a brick pillar outside his home. It was called a "freak accident".

It seems Anton got out of his car to check his gate and mail. His car was on a steep driveway and rolled back. It trapped him against the pillar and a fence. The cause of death was identified as "blunt traumatic asphyxia". There were no suspicious circumstances.

Tributes to Anton

After Anton's death, the producers of Star Trek said they would not replace him as Chekov. The character would be written out of future Star Trek movies. Star Trek Beyond was dedicated to Anton and Leonard Nimoy, another actor who had passed away.

Smurfs: The Lost Village was also dedicated to Anton. He had voiced Clumsy Smurf in the live-action Smurfs films. Many other films he worked on were dedicated to him after his passing. These include We Don't Belong Here and Thoroughbreds. The entire Trollhunters series was dedicated to him when it finished. Anton was also remembered at the 89th Academy Awards.

In October 2017, a bronze statue of Anton was placed at his grave. It is in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Many famous people attended the ceremony. These included Jennifer Lawrence, Zoe Saldana, and Simon Pegg. Zoe Saldana spoke at the ceremony. She said, "It is a bittersweet moment, because we're here for Anton, and he's not here with us. But, it alleviates my heart knowing that we'll keep him alive."

Anton was also remembered in the online video game, Star Trek Online. A Starfleet ship named "Yelchin" was mentioned in the TV show Star Trek: Discovery.

On January 28, 2019, Anton's parents showed a documentary about him called Love, Antosha. It premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

Car Recall and Lawsuit

A Jeep Grand Cherokee like the one Anton Yelchin owned.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) made the Grand Cherokee car Anton owned. They knew that some 2014 and 2015 models had a problem. Drivers found it hard to tell if the car was in park or still in gear. This could cause the car to roll away.

FCA had already recalled these cars in April 2016 to fix this issue. However, the software update to fix the cars didn't reach dealers until the week Anton passed away. After his death, FCA sped up the recall. They worked to get the affected Jeeps repaired faster.

On August 1, 2016, Anton's parents announced they would file a lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler. The dealership where Anton bought the car said he was responsible for his own death. They claimed he had "misused" and "modified" the vehicle. On March 22, 2018, Anton's family and Fiat Chrysler reached a private agreement outside of court.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

Awards and Nominations

See Also

In Spanish: Anton Yelchin para niños

• Davey Moore - American boxer who died in very similar circumstances