Boris Leskin has died, according to reports from Russian news outlets.
The 97-year-old was best known for his role in the hit action film Men In Black, which debuted in 1997.
Leskin’s cause of death is still unknown, according to Iz.ru.
Playing the role of the cook in Men In Black, he starred alongside 90s icons Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in the box-office hit.
The sci-fi film was such a success, it sparked a series of major spin-offs, with Smith and Jones returning to the role two more times.
Boris played the cook in the 1997 box office hit Men In Black
Leskin launched his acting career in the 1950s, following his graduation from the Ostrovsky Leningrad Theatre Institute.
His acting career peaked with roles in Soviet-era flicks in Communist Russia, and he assumed leading roles in a variety of theatre productions.
In 1980, Leskin moved to the US to pursue his acting career in New York, where he was later included on the nomination committee for the Academy Awards.
The Romanian actor cut his teeth in Soviet-era films in Russia
The actor, who was also known as Boris Lyoskin, previously had a role in the 1989 Gene Hackman flick The Package, playing a mysterious Soviet Foreign Minister.
In 2006, the veteran actor was presented with a Pacific Meridian award for his role in Everything Is Illuminated, playing an antisemitic and cranky grandfather to Elijah Wood’s Jonathan Safran Foer.
His last credited role was in the 2009 comedy-drama film Cold Souls, starring Paul Giamatti.
The actor’s role in Everything Is Illuminated earned him a Pacific Meridian accolade
Daria Jurrasic, a member of the Moscow Art Theater, praised Leskin’s “amazing” and “incredible” life in a heartfelt tribute over social media today.
Saying goodbye to the screen star, he penned: “Farewell. Thank you.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
