Claim: Anton Yelchin was born to a Russian Jewish family.

Anton Viktorovich Yelchin -LRB- Анто́н Ви́кторович Ельчи́н March 11 , 1989 -- June 19 , 2016 -RRB- was an American actor . He played Pavel Chekov in three Star Trek films , including the 2009 reboot film of the same name , along with the sequels , Star Trek Into Darkness and the posthumously released Star Trek Beyond -LRB- 2016 -RRB- .   Born to a Russian Jewish family in Leningrad , Yelchin relocated to the United States , where he began performing in the late 1990s , appearing in several television and film roles , and received recognition in Hearts in Atlantis -LRB- 2001 -RRB- . His role as Jacob Clarke in Steven Spielberg 's miniseries Taken was significant in furthering his career as a child actor . He starred on the television series , including Huff and the posthumously released Trollhunters . He also starred in other films , including Alpha Dog -LRB- 2007 -RRB- , Charlie Bartlett -LRB- 2007 -RRB- , Terminator Salvation -LRB- 2009 -RRB- , Fright Night -LRB- 2011 -RRB- , The Smurfs -LRB- 2011 -RRB- , Only Lovers Left Alive -LRB- 2013 -RRB- , Green Room -LRB- 2015 -RRB- and Thoroughbred -LRB- 2017 -RRB- .   In June 2016 , Yelchin died in a car incident in Studio City , California .