This September marks the 50th anniversary of the Star Trek franchise. A convention will be held in New York City at the Jacob Javitz center from September 2-4, 2016. Sadly, Anton Yelchin, the talented young man who portrayed the character Mr. Pavel Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek films Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) will not be there. He has died in what is being called a freak accident on his property in California at the age of 27.
An actor since the age of 9, he worked both in television and in films. As a 6 month old baby, he came to the United States with his Jewish parents, a pair of famed figure skaters from Russia who sought and received political refugee asylum from the US State Department.
Initial reports state that Yelchin was found pinned between his brick mailbox by his security gate and his vehicle. He was found around 1 am on June 18, 2016 by friends of his who came to see why he was late for a rehearsal. Somehow his car rolled backwards down the incline of his driveway and crushed him. According to reports, his car was in neutral and still running. He was pronounced dead today on Father’s Day.
Anton Yelchin does appear as Chekov in the upcoming second sequel Star Trek Beyond (2016). His other film credits include Terminator Salvation (2009), the remake of Fright Night (2011), and the recent adaptations of The Smurfs films and holiday specials where he voiced the character Clumsy Smurf.