Anton Yelchin's Most Memorable Movie Roles
‘Hearts in Atlantis’ (2001)
Yelchin’s first prominent part came in this 2001 Stephen King adaptation, which featured him as a 1950s kid who develops a friendship with a supernaturally powered man on the run. He showed, even at the age of 12, that he was talented enough to stand toe-to-toe with an acting luminary like Anthony Hopkins. (Photo: Warner Bros.)
‘Alpha Dog’ (2006)
The drama brought together many of the era’s up-and-coming actors (including Justin Timberlake, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Olivia Wilde and Amanda Seyfried) alongside heavyweights Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, and Harry Dean Stanton. But the based-on-a-true-story Alpha Dog was grounded by Yelchin as a young boy who’s kidnapped by a group of marijuana-dealing punks in Southern California. It was his launching-pad role, catapulting him to the forefront of his generation’s acting class. (Photo: Everett Collection)
‘Charlie Bartlett’ (2007)
Following on the heels of Alpha Dog, Yelchin immediately became a leading man with this 2007 indie about a wayward teenager who — after various private-institution expulsions — winds up at a public school where he becomes a prescription-drug-pushing therapist for his classmates, all while dating the daughter (Kat Dennings) of the principal (Robert Downey Jr.). The film bombed, but it again showed that Yelchin was a talent with which to be reckoned. (Photo: Everett Collection)
‘Star Trek’ (2009)
Yelchin provided sturdy support to Chris Pine (Captain James T. Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Spock) as Russian-born Pavel Chekov in J.J. Abrams’ thrilling 2009 franchise reboot — a role that allowed Yelchin to serve as trusty comedic relief while also navigating the chaotic action of a big-budget extravaganza. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
‘Terminator Salvation’ (2009)
That year also found Yelchin reimagining another famous sci-fi character — namely, the Terminator franchise’s Kyle Reese, the sidekick to resistance leader John Conner (Christian Bale) in McG’s Salvation. The film may have fizzled with fans, but Yelchin again affirmed his ability to craft a three-dimensional performance even amidst much CGI sound and fury. (Photo: Everett Collection)
‘Like Crazy’ (2011)
Yelchin gave perhaps the finest performance of his too-brief career in this 2011 romance, about an American (Yelchin) who falls in love with a British exchange student (Felicity Jones), only to be separated from her when she’s denied re-entry into the country after her visa expires. With dialogue improvised by its cast, it’s a tender, heartfelt love story marked by lead performances of startling depth. (Photo: Everett Collection)
‘The Beaver’ (2011)
In his second film with Jennifer Lawrence (who co-starred in Like Crazy), Yelchin plays the unhappy son of a man (Mel Gibson) who interacts with the world through a beaver hand puppet. As was so often the case, even opposite heavyweights like Lawrence, Gibson, and director-costar Jodie Foster, Yelchin more than holds his own as the emotional center of a quirky, small-scale drama. (Photo: Everett Collection)
‘Fright Night’ (2011)
Horror remakes are generally a dreary bunch, but the 2011 Fright Night re-do is an exception to that rule, thanks in large part to the dueling lead performances of Yelchin as a young Vegas teen and Colin Farrell as his new neighbor — who, he comes to realize, is a bloodthirsty vampire. Funny, courageous and magnetic, Yelchin delivers one of his best turns in this superior genre effort. (Photo: Everett Collection)
‘Odd Thomas’ (2013)
Again solidifying his reputation as an actor capable of rooting otherworldly material in relatable emotion, Yelchin played a man with the psychic ability to see dead people — a gift that he uses to help solve crimes and protect the innocent. The film itself never fulfills its premise’s promise, but Yelchin’s compelling lead performance remains, throughout, above the material’s frantic fray. (Photo: Everett Collection)
‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ (2013)
Once more manning the console of the Starship Enterprise as Ensign Pavel Chekov, Yelchin gets a bit more to do in this underwhelming sequel — including, at least temporarily, taking over for Simon Pegg’s Scotty as the craft’s chief engineer. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
‘Only Lovers Left Alive’ (2014)
Stealing his scenes opposite Tom Hiddleston’s secluded, guitar-loving vampire, Yelchin is a captivating riot as a shaggy Detroit teen with a knack for locating the rarest of instruments for his undead employer in this sterling, moody 2014 indie from director Jim Jarmusch. (Photo: Sony Pictures Classic)
‘Green Room’ (2016)
The best thriller of 2016 so far is this blistering punk-rock saga about a band called The Ain’t Rights that finds itself in lethal trouble after witnessing a murder at a neo Nazi-frequented music club — a set-up that forces Yelchin, as the group’s bass-playing leader, to navigate a scenario marked by frazzled, frantic, do-or-die terror. (Photo: Everett Collection)
‘Star Trek Beyond’ (2016)
Though it will now be colored by his untimely death, July’s third Star Trek movie will find Yelchin once again standing side-by-side with his Enterprise comrades. It’s a too-soon sci-fi swan song for an actor who was just getting started. (Photo: Everett Collection)
Hollywood lost one of its brightest young stars early Sunday morning with the tragic passing of Anton Yelchin, the 27-year-old Russian-born actor best known for his work as Pavel Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek franchise. While Yelchin will reprise that role in this July’s Star Trek Beyond, it was hardly the only notable credit on his impressive résumé, which exhibited a remarkable balance between big-budget franchise fare and smaller, more daring indie work. His life has been cut short, but he leaves behind a formidable screen legacy, which we honor today with this sorrowful role recap.
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