On June 19th, 2016 the world lost Anton Yelchin after the actor died at the age of 27 in a freak accident when his Jeep rolled downhill outside his Los Angeles home and crushed him against a security fence. So, to mark what would have been his 32nd birthday today, let’s take a look at his contributions to the movie world.
He began his career as a child with performances in Stephen King adaptation Hearts in Atlantis and playing a minor but important character in psychological thriller Along Came a Spider. A string of roles in indie movies then led to his taking the central part of ensemble crime drama Alpha Dog, portraying the kidnapped younger brother of a volatile junkie in debt to a drug dealer, where a mix of brash overconfidence and emotional vulnerability marked him as a talent to watch.
He came to international stardom in the reboot of Star Trek as Enterprise navigator Chekov, and despite being something of a comic relief character, made a lasting impact on audiences. From there, he went on to star in a number of major releases and was often the best thing about mediocre ones, such as Star Trek’s sequels, Terminator Salvation and the remake of Fright Night.
The latter of the above also brings up his growing potential as a leading man, such as Odd Thomas, where he nailed the genial charm that Dean Koontz’s hero was supposed to display but the novels’ writing utterly fails to convey. It was seen most clearly in the superlative thriller Green Room, though, in which he was the bass player in a broke punk bank who end up fighting for their lives when they witness a murder after playing a gig in the secluded meeting house of a group of neo-Nazis.
Tons of fans have been taking to Twitter today to honor the actor and below, you can see just a sample of what folks are saying:
Let's stop life for 1 minute. In loving memory of Anton Yelchin, who would have turned 32 today. A gifted actor and a great person, who unfortunately passed away much too early. ❤️Love Antosha ❤️ @KarlUrban @simonpegg @ZacharyQuinto @zoesaldana @StarTrek @JohnTheCho pic.twitter.com/6JUAwXXAkk
— KarlUrban.ChrisPine.Germany (@KarlUrbanChris1) March 11, 2021
Happy Birth to Anton Yelchin ;( pic.twitter.com/LOvuPNaT6E
— salt | missing xikers (@YUNH0x1) March 11, 2021
happy 32nd birthday to anton yelchin. i’ll miss him forever 🖤 pic.twitter.com/Sy1e5cLWtW
— no liam just payne (@lisaxxyy) March 11, 2021
Everyone's talking about remembering Anton Yelchin for his memorable roles, but I'm not seeing anyone mention his greatest role as Jim Lake. That is an unbelievably great series elevated by his wonderfully emotive performance. Happy Birthday Anton pic.twitter.com/WyRvMP1uAN
— Graham Day (@GrahamGeekEire) March 11, 2021
I just got sad remembering that Anton Yelchin died
— brea (@breaalexandria) March 11, 2021
Happy Anton Yelchin day!!! https://t.co/ADu3BchX1t
— Bella 𓆉 (@todosobrebella) March 11, 2021
Remembering Anton Yelchin on what would have been his 32nd birthday ❤️ pic.twitter.com/A6s29oVnZZ
— State Theatre (@statetheatrea2) March 11, 2021
Am incredible loss, such a bright future ahead of him…💔 RIP Anton Yelchin pic.twitter.com/q0OwKnY7tG
— Satine Burgoa (@BurgoaSatine) March 11, 2021
Anton Yelchin’s passing is one of few celebrity deaths that really affected me.
— taylor ☽ ⋆⁺₊🎧✧ (@cafemarkfs) March 11, 2021
You would have been 32 today ❤#HappyBirthday #AntonYelchin #RIP pic.twitter.com/bCs971iWX0
— _°IcKa°_ (@SkadiSenpai) March 11, 2021
Happy Birthday to angel Anton Yelchin
— Gau – Izzy Hands deserved better (@Gaudi1988) March 11, 2021
Of course, Anton Yelchin also completed a number of movies prior to his death that were released posthumously, each of which demonstrated his growing talent and further emphasized what was so tragically and pointlessly lost.
