Film actor Anton Yelchin, famous for his roles in the “Star Trek” reboots and “Alpha Dog,” has died at the age of 27, TheWrap has learned.
“Actor Anton Yelchin was killed in a fatal traffic collision early this morning,” his publicist Jennifer Allen said. “His family requests you respect their privacy at this time.”
The actor was fatally pinned between his own car and a brick mailbox at his San Fernando Valley home, police confirmed to TheWrap.
Yelchin was en route to meet his friends for a rehearsal when the accident occurred — at approximately 1:10 a.m. on Sunday. After he did not show up, friends responded to his residence where they located him deceased by his own vehicle, police said.
Authorities do not suspect foul play.
Yelchin was best known for playing navigator Pavel Chekov in the rebooted “Star Trek” film franchise. The third film in the new series, “Star Trek Beyond,” is slated to open July 22, 2016.
Yelchin’s friends and fellow actors expressed shock and disbelief, many taking to Twitter to share their grief.
“Star Trek” castmate John Cho wrote, “I’m in ruins.”
Karl Urban, who also shared screen time with Yelchin in the popular film series, tweeted, “I can’t believe it , I m fckn hurting bad !”
Yelchin also voiced a role for Guillermo del Toro‘s upcoming Netflix animated series “Trollhunters,” set to premiere in December.
Filming has been completed on Gabe Klinger’s upcoming romantic drama, “Porto,” in which Yelchin starred with Chantal Akerman. No release date is set.
The actor has also wrapped production on Cory Finley’s dramatic thriller “Thoroughbred,” set to come out next year.
Yelchin was also cast in the television series “Mr. Mercedes” with Brendan Gleeson, though that project is listed on IMDb as in pre-production.
The late actor was born in Russia. An only child, he is survived by his two parents, Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin, who were pair figure skaters.
He first broke out in indies, like Nick Cassavetes‘ 2006 drama “Alpha Dog,” before moving to more prominent gigs, including two seasons as Hank Azaria‘s son on HBO’s “Huff” and Kyle Reese in 2009’s “Terminal Salvation.”