Anton Yelchin, a gifted, rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new Star Trek’ films, has died at the age of 27. He was killed in an accident at his Los Angeles home early on Sunday morning, said his publicist Jennifer Allen.
The actor was standing behind his car, which was parked in his driveway when the vehicle rolled backwards, pinning him against a security fence, a police spokesperson told E! News. He had been on his way to meet friends for a rehearsal and when he did not show up, they went to his house and found his body.
Yelchin started small with roles in indie films and various television shows, before breaking out in films like the crime thriller Alpha Dog and the teenage comedy Charlie Bartlett. His biggest role to date has been in the rebooted Star Trek films — the third of which, Star Trek Beyond comes out in July, the Associated Press said.
Yelchin, an only child, was born in Russia.
He made his onscreen acting debut in 2000 in an episode of ER. He went on to star in films such as Hearts in Atlantis and Alpha Dog and shows such as The Practice, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Huff before being cast as engineer Pavel Chekov, known as just Chekov, in the 2009 Star Trek remake.
His parents were professional figure skaters who moved the family to the United States when Yelchin was a baby.
Yelchin's family has reportedly requested privacy at this time.
