Dimitri Diatchenko Explained

Birth Date:11 April 1968
Birth Place:Oakland, California, U.S.
Death Place:Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Occupation:Actor
Years Active:1997–2017

Dimitri Diatchenko (April 11, 1968 – April 21, 2020) was an American actor.

Life and career

Diatchenko was born April 11, 1968, in Oakland, California.[1] He was a native of San Francisco, California and a first-generation American of Ukrainian, Greek and Swedish descent.[2] [3] Diatchenko began classical guitar lessons at the age of seven. Two years later, he gave his first solo classical guitar recital. During and after his studies, Diatchenko won several medals in guitar competitions including the Stotsenberg International Classical Guitar Competition or the World Championships of Performing Arts.[4] [5] He released four solo guitar CDs.[6]

Diatchenko studied martial arts from the age of seven. He earned black belts in both Tae Kwon Do and Kenpo Karate and studied boxing and arnis. During the early 1990s, Diatchenko competed as a heavyweight in several national championships, winning many medals in full contact fighting, including the US Olympic Festival, the WTF National Championships and The 1991 World Invitational in Miami, Florida.

Diatchenko attended Newton North High School in Newton, Massachusetts where Matt LeBlanc also attended at the same time and later Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. There he was a scholarship music student, majored in classical guitar, and received a Bachelor of Music degree. After transferring to Florida State University in Tallahassee, Diatchenko continued with acting and music studies in the Masters program.[7] In April 1996, as Diatchenko was graduating, he was cast in Ridley Scott's 1997 action film G.I. Jane and landed a small role as trainee; following this, Diatchenko relocated to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career. In Los Angeles, he also taught guitar privately and performed regularly as a soloist and ensemble player.

Diatchenko made appearances in several television series. After appearing in the action series Alias, he was in the films Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Get Smart.[8]

For his performance as Ukrainian tour guide Yuri in the film Chernobyl Diaries, Diatchenko received positive reviews from some film critics.[9] [10] [11]

In addition to acting, Diatchenko worked as voice actor. He lent his voice to a lot of video and computer games. His first performance in a video game came in 2005 with additional voices for .

Animal cruelty charge

In 2015, Diatchenko pleaded no contest to animal cruelty after allegedly cooking and eating his ex-girlfriend's pet rabbit. He was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to perform sixty days of community labor and undergo forty-eight hours of counselling.[12] [13] [14]

Death

Diatchenko died in his home in Daytona Beach, Florida, on April 21, 2020, aged 52. He was discovered two days later after a wellness check initiated by concerned relatives.[15] According to Diatchenko's agent, the death appeared to be a heart attack or complications from an electric shock Diatchenko had sustained at work a week before his death.[16] An autopsy later revealed that there was a large amount of fentanyl and Valium in his system and the medical examiner listed the official cause of death as an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.[17]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1997 Goiterboy Richter Short
G.I. Jane Trainee
1999 The Settlement Uncredited
2001 Norman J. Lloyd Norman J. Lloyd Short
2006 The Genius Club Jesse The Mechanic
Miriam Alexi
Love Made Easy Poker Player
2007 The Longest Yard Sale Grammy
2008 Remarkable Power Ivan
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Russian Suit 1 / Russian Soldier
Get Smart Russian Underling
2010 Burning Palms Bob
2012 Chernobyl Diaries Yuri
2013 Company of Heroes Ivan Puzharski Direct-to-video
Clubhouse Misha
2016 They're Watching Vladimir Filat Final film role

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1997 Total Security Bodyguard Episode: "Pilot"
Thug #1 / Carl Episode: "A Mine Is a Terrible Thing to Waste"
1998 Timecop Sergeant Episode: "D.O.A."
1999 Walker, Texas Ranger Robert Jackson Episode: "Power Angels"
Anton Marisovich Episode: "True Stories"
2000 V.I.P. Episode: "Val Point Blank"
18 Wheels of Justice Alexei Episode: "Smuggler's Blues", Uncredited
2001 The Wild Thornberrys Elder Beaver Voice, Episode: "All Work and No Play"
18 Wheels of Justice Sergei Zukaross Episode: "Hot Cars, Fast Women"
2004 Alias Vilmos Episode: "The Frame"
2005 Wanted Darsikska Episode: "The Wild Bunch"
2006 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Waiter Episode: "Odd Couples"
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Attendant 1 Episode: "No So Suite 16"
2007 Criminal Minds Lyov Lysowsky Episode: "Honor Among Thieves"
Shark Gavin Lundy Episode: "Fall from Grace"
Burn Notice Boris Episode: "Pilot"
2008 The Riches Russian #2 Episode: "The Lying King"
My Own Worst Enemy Gold Teeth Episode: "Breakdown"
Without a Trace Yuri Ovsenko Episode: "Push Comes to Shove"
2009 Andrei Episode: "Wolfe in Sheep's Clothing"
Family Guy Russian Dinosaur / Russian Guard #2 Voice, Episode: "Spies Reminiscent of Us"
2010 General Hospital Babak 3 episodes, Uncredited
2011 Sons of Anarchy Head Russian 2 episodes
2012 How I Met Your Mother Arvydas Episode: "46 Minutes"
Perception Alexi Topaloff Episode: "Faces"
2013 Project: SERA Zakir Episode: "Immunity"
2014 Bones Dimitri Romanov Episode: "The Master in the Slop"
2 Broke Girls Yuri Episode: "And the Kilt Trip"
2016 Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street Green Beret Episode: "Gortimer vs. White Hat"
Murder in the First Janko Kolar Episode: "Rise of the Phoenix"
2017 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vulko / Lone Knight / Lead Knight Voice, 2 episodes

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
2005
From Russia with Love
Quake 4 Sledge
2006
Paramilitary Leader
2008 Iron Man Boris Bullski / Titanium Man, Russian Soldiers [18]
Fracture
Cmdr. Oleg Vodnik
The Commissar
2009 Cmdr. Oleg Vodnik
Cloven Leader / Cloven 2
Wolfenstein Golden Dawn Agent / Wehrmacht Officer / Black Market Agent
Serbian Soldiers
Rogue Warrior Russian Soldier 3 / SEAL Captain
2010 Iron Man 2 General Valentin Shatalov / Roxxon Soldiers
Singularity
Crackdown 2
Spetsnaz Operative
2011 Serbian Soldier
2012 Evgeny Petrakov
2013 Tomb Raider Solarii
Secretary General Moskvin
The Last of Us
2015 Evolve Markov
Battlefield Hardline
Fallout 4 Vadim Bobrov
Rise of the Tomb Raider
2016 XCOM 2 Soldier

Awards and nominations

Music

Notes and References

  1. News: Daytona Beach News-Journal. May 21, 2020. Dimitri Diatchenko.
  2. Web site: Welcome to nginx . go386.com . January 27, 2022 . January 3, 2013 . https://archive.today/20130103001647/http://www.go386.com/movies/2012/05/the-ukrainian-connection.html . dead .
  3. Web site: Staff . T. H. R. . 2020-05-01 . Dimitri Diatchenko, Actor, Musician and Video Game Voiceover Artist, Dies at 52 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230610085907/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/dimitri-diatchenko-dead-actor-musician-video-game-voiceover-artist-was-52-1292898/ . June 10, 2023 . 2024-02-23 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  4. Web site: Short biography of Dimitri Diatchenko . Los Angeles Classical Guitars . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080509105014/http://www.lacg.net/artistpage_diatchenko.htm . May 9, 2008 .
  5. Web site: Biography for Dimitri Diatchenko. IMDb.
  6. Web site: Dimitri Diatchenko – Music . www.DimitriD.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120721213040/http://www.dimitrid.com/music.html . July 21, 2012 .
  7. Web site: Short biography of Dimitri Diatchenko . HXC MUSIC .
  8. Web site: Linton . Caroline . 2020-04-25 . Actor Dimitri Diatchenko, featured on "Sons of Anarchy," has died at age 52 - CBS News . https://web.archive.org/web/20230129205342/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dimitri-diatchenko-died-character-actor-dead-age-52-cause-of-death-unclear-2020-04-25/ . January 29, 2023 . 2024-02-23 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  9. News: Chernobyl Diaries: Film Review. The Hollywood Reporter . Frank. Scheck. May 25, 2012.
  10. News: Chernobyl Diaries (2012) – Movie Review. Entertainment Weekly. June 2, 2012. May 28, 2012. November 13, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141113093714/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20587710,00.html. dead.
  11. News: Chernobyl Diaries – Stylish 'Chernobyl Diaries' mostly radiates familiar chills. https://web.archive.org/web/20120526121820/http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movies/chernobyl-diaries,1224530/critic-review.html#reviewNum1. dead. May 26, 2012. The Washington Post.
  12. News: Actor accused of killing, skinning and then eating ex-girlfriend's pet rabbit. Jethro Mullen. CNN. December 12, 2014.
  13. News: An Actor Who Killed His Ex-Girlfriend's Pet Rabbit And Ate It Has Been Sentenced To Probation. BuzzFeed News.
  14. Web site: North Hollywood Man Pleads to Animal Cruelty in Killing of Roommate's Pet Rabbit.
  15. Web site: 'Chernobyl Diaries' Star Dimitri Diatchenko Dead at 52. April 24, 2020. . April 24, 2020.
  16. News: Dimitri Diatchenko Dies: 'Chernobyl Diaries' Star Was 52. Tom. Tapp. April 25, 2020.
  17. News: 'Chernobyl Diaries' star Dimitri Diatchenko's cause of death revealed. Jami Ganz. New York Daily News. May 27, 2020.
  18. Web site: Dimitri Diatchenko (visual voices guide). Behind The Voice Actors. November 23, 2019. . A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information..
  19. Web site: DIMITRI DIATCHENKO SIGNS WITH "GENERAL HOSPITAL" . WCOPA . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120626153012/http://www.wcopa.com/news/dimitri-diatchenko-signs-general-hospital . June 26, 2012 .