Irina yelchin biography

Anton Yelchin was born in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, the son of Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin, pair figure skaters who were celebrities as stars of the Leningrad Ice Ballet for 15 years. Nationally, Yelchin’s parents were the third-ranked pair team; they thus qualified for the 1972 Winter Olympics, but because they were Jewish, were not permitted to participate by the Soviet authorities. Yelchin’s family moved to the United States in September 1989, receiving status as refugees from political and religious oppression. Yelchin’s mother now works as a figure skating choreographer and his father as a figure skating coach, having been Sasha Cohen’s first trainer.

Yelchin enjoys playing the guitar, saying that it gives him “a lot of fulfillment”, and is a fan of acoustic blues music. He attended the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, in Tarzana, California, and enrolled at the University of Southern California in the fall of 2007 to study film. He currently lives in Burbank Hills, located in the city of Burbank

Three years after their son’s tragic death at just 27, Anton Yelchin’s parents are still struggling with their grief while also continuing to celebrate his memory.

Irina and Victor Yelchin begin each day in the same way: by visiting their son’s grave at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

“Our days start from Hollywood Forever,” Irina, 68, tells PEOPLE in the latest issue. “Victor goes first, then I come and switch.”

Irina and Victor are open about their heartache following Anton’s death, who died shockingly in June 2016 when his Jeep rolled backward and pinned him to the driveway gate of his Los Angeles home.

Irina also admits that while they have “better days, when I’m not crying as hard,” she says “no day goes by when I’m not crying.”

The Yelchins say that they are always on the lookout for signs from their son.

Kristen Stewart and Chris Pine Remember Anton Yelchin in Emotional Trailer for Film About Actor

For more on Anton Yelchin and those who celebrate his memory in Love, Antosha, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday

RELATED VIDEO: Anton Yelchin Honored At Emotional Celebration Of Life By Jennifer Lawrence, Zoë Saldana & More Stars

“Anton sends us signs, truly,” Irina says. “He always drew hearts and there was a cloud shaped exactly like one of his hearts in the sky two days ago. But he is with us absolutely, when we see something like that, or birds singing through the night in the dark, [those kinds of] signs.”

The Yelchins’ love for and grief about their son is a moving part of a new documentary, Love, Antosha, directed by Garret Price, that celebrates the Star Trek star’s memory through interviews, home videos and photos shared by his parents, friends and colleagues.

They are “very happy with the whole movie, and everything that was done for it,” Victor says. “We’re gratef

Actor Anton Yelchin poses with his mother Irina and father Viktor at the premiere of the Universal Pictures’ film “Alpha Dog” on January 3, 2007 at the Arclight Theatres in Hollywood. (Vince Bucci/Getty)

Actor Anton Yelchin, who died tragically in a car accident early Sunday morning at the age of 27, is survived by his parents, Viktor and Irina Yelchin.

The family moved to the United States from Russia when he was a young child.

Yelchin, who starred in Star Trek and Alpha Dog, was killed when he was pinned between his car and a brick mailbox at his home in the San Fernando Valley in California, TMZ reports.

Here’s what you need to know about Yelchin’s parents:

1. Viktor & Irina Were Pair Figure Skaters Who Starred at the Leningrad Ice Ballet & Qualified for the 1972 Olympics

Anton Yelchin, then 12, gets the sweat wiped from his brow by mother Irina as he arrives for the premiere screening of Scott Hicks’ new film “Hearts in Atlantis” in 2001 at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada. (Getty)

Viktor and Irina Korina Yelchin were pair figure skaters in the Soviet Union before they moved to the United States, according to a 1989 Los Angeles Times article about the couple.

They were the stars of the Leningrad Ice Ballet for 15 years and were “national celebrities,” according to the Times.

They qualified for the Olympics in 1972 as the nation’s third-ranked pair team, but weren’t permitted to go because of their religion, according to the Times. The couple is Jewish.

2. They Moved to the United States as Refugees When Anton Was 6 Months Old

(Getty)

Anton Yelchin moved to the United States with his parents when he was six months old. They were granted political refugee status. He grew up in California.

When asked why they moved to the United States to start over, the couple gav

American actor (1989–2016)

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Viktorovich and the family name is Yelchin.

Anton Viktorovich Yelchin (March 11, 1989 – June 19, 2016) was an American actor. Born in the Soviet Union to a Russian Jewish family, he emigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of six months. He began his career as a child actor, appearing as the lead of the mystery drama film Hearts in Atlantis (2001) and a series regular on the Showtime comedy-drama Huff (2004–2006). His fame grew when he guest-starred in a 2004 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Yelchin landed higher-profile film roles in 2009, portraying Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek reboot and Kyle Reese in Terminator Salvation. He reprised his role as Chekov in the sequels Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016).

Yelchin frequently worked on independent and lower-profile films, headlining the romantic drama Like Crazy (2011), the 2011 remake of Fright Night, the supernatural thriller Odd Thomas (2013), the romance 5 to 7 (2014), the horror comedy Burying the Ex (2014), the neo-noir The Driftless Area (2015), and the horror thriller Green Room (2015). As a voice actor, he voiced Clumsy Smurf in the live-action Smurfs films (2011–2013) and the lead role James Lake Jr. on the Netflix animated series