Anton Yelchin.

Anton Yelchin was born in Leningrad, USSR now St. Petersburg, Russia on March 11, 1989, to Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin, both professional figure skaters who were stars of the Leningrad Ice Ballet. His grandfather was a professional soccer player. At six months of age, Yelchin immigrated with his family to the United States, settling in California where his parents became figure skating coaches. From age four, he displayed a strong personality and declined his parents’ tutelage in figure skating, instead pursuing acting.

Yelchin made his television debut at age 10 on the medical drama ER 2000 as Robbie Edelstein. In 2001, at 11, he starred opposite Anthony Hopkins in Hearts in Atlantis, earning the 2002 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film as Leading Young Actor. He played Ensign Pavel Chekov in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek reboot and reprised the role in Star Trek Into Darkness 2013. Other roles include Charlie Brewster in Fright Night 2011, Jacob in Like Crazy 2011, and Kyle Reese in Terminator Salvation 2009. He also voiced Clumsy Smurf in the live-action Smurfs films 2011, 2013.

Yelchin was the only child of Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin, who were well-known figure skaters in the Soviet Union and had qualified for the 1972 Winter Olympics but were not permitted to participate, possibly due to their Jewish heritage. He lived in Los Angeles, California. Outside acting, Yelchin loved reading, playing chess, and writing music; he played piano and guitar in a band. He had cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that was not publicly revealed until after his death. On June 19, 2016, he died outside his Studio City home when his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled backward on his steep driveway, pinning him against a brick pillar. The accident was caused by a badly designed shifter that indicated park when it was in neutral, leading to a recall.

Following his death, the producers of Star Trek announced that the role of Pavel Chekov would not be recast. Star Trek Beyond 2016 was dedicated to his memory, as were Smurfs: The Lost Village 2017 and other films. In October 2017, a bronze statue of Yelchin was erected at his grave in Hollywood Forever Cemetery, with celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence, Zoe Saldaña, and J.J. Abrams attending the ceremony. His versatility as an actor and the tragic brevity of his career define his legacy.