Dimitri Diatchenko
Dimitri Diatchenko
Born/Date of Birth: April 11, 1968
Place of Birth: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died: April 21, 2020 (aged 52), Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Education: Florida State University (1996), Stetson University (1994), Newton North High School
Parents: Nikolai Diatchenko
Nationality: American
Occupation: Actor
Dimitri Diatchenko (April 11, 1968 – April 21, 2020) was an American actor and musician.
Life and career
Diatchenko was a native of San Francisco. California, and a first-generation American; his father is Ukrainian and his mother was of Greek and Swedish descent. 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, Dimitri Diatchenko has won several medals in guitar competitions like the Stotsenberg International Classical Guitar Competition or the World Championships of Performing Arts. Furthermore, he released four solo guitar CDs.
Dimitri Diatchenko attended Newton North High School in Newton, Massachusetts and later Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. There he was a scholarship music student, majored in classical guitar and received the Bachelor of Music. After transferring to Florida State University in Tallahassee, Dimitri Diatchenko continued with his acting and music studies in the Masters program. In April 1996, as Dimitri Diatchenko was graduating with his master's degree from Florida State University, (he received the Master of Music from the university), he was cast in Ridley Scott's 1997 action film G.I. Jane and landed a small role as trainee; following this, Dimitri Diatchenko relocated to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career further. In Los Angeles, he also taught guitar privately and performed regularly as a soloist and ensemble player.
Dimitri Diatchenko's acting career began in the late 1990s, as he made appearances on several television series during this time. After appearing on the action television series Alias, some of his most well-known roles to date came in 2008, as he appeared in the motion pictures Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Get Smart. For his performance as Ukrainian tour guide Yuri in the actual film Chernobyl Diaries, Diatchenko received good reviews from some film critics.
In addition to acting, Diatchenko worked as voice actor. He lent his voice to a lot of video and computer games. His first work in a video game came in 2005, as he provided additional voices for Medal of Honor: European Assault.
In 2015, Diatchenko pled guilty to animal cruelty after cooking and eating his ex-girlfriend's rabbit. He was ordered to perform 60 days of community labor and undergo 48 hours of counselling.
Diatchenko died at the age of 52 in his home in Daytona Beach, FL on April 21, 2020. He was discovered two days later following a wellness check by relatives, concerned they had not seen Diatchenko in days. According to Diatchenko's agent, the death appeared to be a heart attack or complications from an electric shock Diatchenko had sustained while working a week before his death.
