Dimitri Diatchenko
Dimitri Diatchenko (April 11, 1968 – April 21, 2020) was an American actor and musician. He was born in California (Oakland or San Francisco) and had Ukrainian, Greek, and Swedish roots.
He began playing classical guitar at age seven and gave his first solo recital two years later. He won several guitar awards and released four solo CDs. Diatchenko also trained in martial arts, earning black belts in Tae Kwon Do and Kenpo Karate, and he studied boxing and arnis. In the early 1990s he competed in national fighting championships, earning many medals.
Diatchenko went to Newton North High School in Massachusetts and studied music at Stetson University, where he earned a Bachelor of Music in classical guitar. He later attended Florida State University for a master’s program while pursuing acting.
His acting career began to take off after he moved to Los Angeles. He appeared on TV and in films, including G.I. Jane, Alias, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Get Smart. He received positive reviews for his role as Yuri in Chernobyl Diaries. He also did voice work for video games, starting with Medal of Honor: European Assault in 2005.
In 2015, Diatchenko pleaded no contest to animal cruelty for allegedly cooking and eating his ex-girlfriend’s pet rabbit. He received three years of probation, 60 days of community labor, and counseling.
Diatchenko died at his home in Daytona Beach, Florida, on April 21, 2020, at age 52. He was found two days later. The autopsy concluded that his death was an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, with fentanyl and Valium detected in his system.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 20:29 (CET).