Anton Yelchin Movies Spotlight
Actor Anton Yelchin sadly passed away in June during a freak accident. The world lost a rising star and a lovely person. We’ll get to see him perform again in a few upcoming films, including Star Trek Beyond, in which he’ll reprise the role of Chekov for the last time. Check out our movie spotlight below and celebrate his far-too-short career with a rewatch.
Anton Yelchin Movies: Hearts in Atlantis (2001)
This film starred Sir Anthony Hopkins as Ted Brautigan, a man taken in by Liz Garfield (Hope Davis) for extra money. Yelchin plays her son Robert “Bobby” Garfield, the younger version of the character played by David Morse, who is telling the story. Ted, who befriends Bobby, has psychic powers but after a terrible mistake made my his mother, it all goes terribly wrong.
Anton Yelchin Movies: Alpha Dog (2006)
“Alpha Dog,” written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, is based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz. Yelchin plays Zach Mazursky (based on Markowitz), who is taken by a drug gang lead by Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch, based on the real life Jesse James Hollywood). He befriends his captors, but things don’t go smoothly, obviously. The film also stars Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, Sharon Stone and Bruce Willis.
Anton Yelchin Movies: Charlie Bartlett (2007)
This is a sweet coming-of-age film in which Yelchin plays the title character. Charlie is from a wealthy family, but he is sent to public school after being kicked out of private school. He finally makes friends, but that makes him a target for the principal (Robert Downey Jr.). Yelchin is absolutely charming and if you missed this one when it was released, you should definitely go check it out.
Anton Yelchin Movies: Star Trek (2009)
This is the role that put Yelchin on the map. He played Pavel Chekov, played by Walter Koenig in the original series and in many of the films. Yelchin based his accent on Koenig’s speech, though it’s not a real Russian accent. (Yelchin himself is Russian.) He reprised the role in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and the upcoming Star Trek Beyond, which opens on July 22 and will premiere at San Diego Comic-Con on Wednesday, July 20.
Anton Yelchin Movies: Terminator Salvation (2009)
Yelchin plays Kyle Reese (played by Michael Biehn in the 1984 film), a young man in the Resistance. He’s sent back in time to father John Connor (Christian Bale). He meets up with the mysterious Marcul (Sam Worthington) and fights a new kind of Terminator.
Anton Yelchin Movies: The Beaver (2011)
Directed by Jodie Foster, the film stars Mel Gibson as Walter Black, a suicidal CEO of a failing toy company. His relationship with his wife (Foster) and son Porter (Yelchin) is damaged by his mental state and after leaving the house, he begins using a beaver hand puppet to communicate. Porter has to deal with the embarrassment of his father’s condition while trying to navigate a possible romantic relationship with Norah (Jennifer Lawrence).
Anton Yelchin Movies: Fright Night (2011)
In this remake of the 1985 Tom Holland film, Yelchin plays Charley Brewster, a teenager who lives in Las Vegas. He and his buddy Edward “Evil Ed” Lee go to investigate claims that their new neighbor Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire. They recruit local magician Peter Vincent (David Tennant) to help out, but things don’t quite go as planned.
Anton Yelchin Movies: The Smurfs (2011)
In this 3D live-action/computer-animated comedy, Yelchin voiced Clumsy Smurf, reprising the role in the 2013 sequel The Smurfs 2. As fans of the ’80s TV series know, Clumsy Smurf always smurfs up, and the film is no different. Clumsy leads Gargamel (Hank Azaria) and Azrael to the village and sets off events that Papa Smurf (Jonathan Winters) saw in a vision.
Anton Yelchin Movies: Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
This vampire film is directed by Jim Jarmusch, and stars Tilda Swinton Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Jeffrey Wright and John Hurt. Swinton and Hiddleston play married, yet estranged vampires who don’t feed directly from humans. They rely on blood suppliers for clean blood, and Adam (Hiddleston) has lost the desire to “live.” Yelchin plays Ian, a human who procures guitars and other items for Adam. There is a very interesting “revelation” about Shakespeare’s plays in this very unusual film for the genre.
Anton Yelchin Movies: Green Room (2015)
Yelchin plays Pat, part of a punk band named the Ain’t Rights who take a gig at a skinhead bar. He finds a body in the green room and sets off events including finding a heroin lab and a dog attack, and band members are killed by skinheads. Patrick Stewart plays the skinhead leader in a performance that will almost make you forget his role in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Almost. Yelchin himself played in a punk band named the Hammerheads.
Which is your favorite Anton Yelchin film? Are you excited for Star Trek Beyond? Leave your memories and favorite moments in the comments. On a personal note, Yelchin was a recent guest on an episode of Most Craved and after we filmed, all we could talk about was how lovely he was. He will be missed. Rest in peace, sir.
