Who was Anton Yelchin? Actor who voiced Jim Lake in 'Trollhunters' died in freak accident

Yelchin was killed in his driveway by his own car as it rolled down and pinned him against a mailbox

PUBLISHED JUL 20, 2021

Anton Yelchin recorded for Jim Lake's voice in 'Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia' (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

Ruling Guillermo del Toro's world of Arcadia in 'Trollhunters' is Jim Lake — a delicate teenager who craves for life outside the monotony of suburbia. His wishes are granted when destiny calls and an amulet elects him as the first human troll hunter. This meant he had to shoulder greater responsibilities. Was he ready to let go of his simple life in search of purpose?

While CGI did its job in documenting Jim's evolution, actor Anton Yelchin wasn't far behind as the actor responsible for Jim's voice in the series. Yelchin had recorded for a bunch of episodes before his death, which sent shockwaves across the world and prompted the creators to look for someone to finish what Yelchin started. This was when Emile Hirsch took over.

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Here, we attempt to look back at Yelchin, his short-lived career and how his life came to a screeching halt, quite literally. Before we deep dive into what the late actor's life had been like, you may want to binge on 'Trollhunters', '3Below' and 'Wizards' before 'Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans' drop on Netflix.

Yelchin was killed in a freak accident on June 19, 2016. CBS News reported that he had just stepped out of his car when it started rolling the steep driveway and pinned him against a brick mailbox and security fence. He was heading out for a rehearsal with a group of friends, who rushed to his house when they hadn't heard from him for a while, a BBC report confirmed.

Anton Yelchin arrives at the 'Fright Night' Premiere during the 37th Deauville American Film Festival on September 3, 2011 in Deauville, France (Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images)

Born in St Petersburg, Russia to figure-skater parents, Yelchin was known for playing Bobby in 'Hearts in Atlantis' (2001), Chekov in 'Star Trek' reboot (2009), Charlie Brewster in the 'Fright Night' remake (2011), and Jacob in 'Like Crazy' (2011). Outside of his acting profession, he enjoyed reading and playing chess. Yelchin was fond of music and would often play the piano and guitar.

The official synopsis reads: "Following the events of the Tales of Arcadia trilogy, the heroes of Arcadia must band together to protect humanity from the evil Arcane Order, who wield their dark and uncontrollable magic to summon ancient titans that threaten to destroy the world." Aside from Hirsch, the animation feature film stars Charlie Saxton as Toby Domzalski, Lexi Medrano as Claire Nuñez, Fred Tatasciore as AAARRRGGHH!!!, Tatiana Maslanyas as Aja, Nick Offerman as Vex, Alfred Molina as Archie, Colin O'Donoghue as Douxie, Kelsey Grammer as Blinky, and Diego Luna as Krel.

'Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans' premieres on Netflix on July 21, Wednesday.