Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new ``Star Trek'' films, was killed by his own car as it rolled down his driveway early yesterday.
Police say the car pinned the 27 year old actor, against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence at his home in Los Angeles.
He had gotten out of the vehicle momentarily, but police did not say why he was behind it when it started rolling.
Yelchin was on his way to meet friends for a rehearsal,when he didn't show up, the group came to his home and found him dead.
The freak accident tragically cuts short the promising career of an actor whom audiences were still getting to know and who had great artistic ambition.
``Star Trek Beyond,'' the third film in the rebooted series, comes out in July.
Director J.J. Abrams, who cast Yelchin in the franchise, wrote in a statement that he was ``brilliant ... kind ... funny as hell, and supremely talented.''