Ashot Melikjanyan or Melikdzhanyan (20 April 1952 — 12 November 2001) was a Soviet Armenian actor. Early life, family and education Ashot Melikdjanyan was born in the Soviet Union on the 20th of April in 1952. Career Melikdjanyan began his acting career at the Yerevan Dramatic Theater. His first on-screen performance was playing the role of Meruzhan in the 1972 film Ayrik. He then starred as the protagonist in the 1979 film Air Pedestrians, filmed at the Uzbekfilm film studio. He starred in the 1983 movie Without much risk which was filmed at the Gorky Film Studio. Melikdjanyan's last appearance was in the 1990 movie Yearning, which was filmed at the Armenfilm studio. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Melikdjanyan emigrated with his family to the US, where he worked at a jewelry factory which supervised one of its branches in the Dominican Republic. Personal life and demise Melikdjanyan was killed in the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in New York City on 12 November 2001. Filmography References Soviet male actors 2001 deaths Soviet Armenians 1952 births 20th-century Armenian actors American people of Armenian descent Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2001 Accidental deaths in New York (state) Soviet male film actors Soviet emigrants to the United States