Ilya Zalmanovich Baskin (; ; born 11 August 1950), known professionally as Elya Baskin, is a Latvian-American character actor. He first gained attention for his role in Moscow on the Hudson (1984), as Robin Williams' character's best friend. He is also known for playing Peter Parker's landlord, Mr. Ditkovich, in Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007). Biography Baskin was born to a Jewish family in Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union, the son of Frieda and Zalman Baskin. He attended Moscow's prestigious Theatre and Variety Arts College and won a Festival of Young Actors Award at the Moscow Comedy Theatre. He defected to the United States in 1976. He has built a considerable career in TV and film, and is often cast as Eastern European characters. Filmography Film Telegram (Телеграмма) (1972) – teacher (uncredited) Not a Word About Football (Ни слова о футболе) (1974) – music teacher Three Days in Moscow (Три дня в Москве) (1974) – passerby The World's Greatest Lover (1977) – Actor with Bad Breath Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979) – Book-keeper Being There (1979) – Karpatov Raise the Titanic (1980) – Marganin American Pop (1981) – Tuba Player Moscow on the Hudson (1984) – Anatoly Cherkasov 2010 (1984) – Maxim Brailovsky The Name of the Rose (1986) – Severinus Streets of Gold (1986) – Klebanov Combat High (1986) – Interpreter Vice Versa (1988) – Professor Kerschner Zits (1988) – Vladimir Timoshenko DeepStar Six (1989) – Dr. Burciaga The Slice of Life (1989) – Foreign Man Enemies: A Love Story (1989) – Yasha Kobik The Pickle (1993) – Russian Cab Driver Love Affair (1994) – Ship Captain New York Skyride (1994) Spy Hard (1996) – Professor Ukrinsky Forest Warrior (1996) – Buster Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) – General Borschevsky Air Force One (1997) – Andrei Kolchak October Sky (1999) – Ike Bykovsky Running Red (1999) – Strelkin Thirteen Days (2000) – Anatoly Dobrynin Heartbreakers (2001) – Vladimir, Kremlin Waiter 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (2004) – Dr. Stepniak Spider-Man 2 (2004) – Mr. Ditkovich Wheelmen (2005) – Vladimir Confessions of a Pit Fighter (2005) – Nick The Elder Son (2006) – Uncle Fedya Color of the Cross (2006) – Caiphas Spider-Man 3 (2007) – Mr. Ditkovich The Dukes (2007) – Murph Say It in Russian (2007) – Victor God's Smile or The Odessa Story (2008) – Tad, a lawyer Angels &