Ilya Zalmanovich Baskin (Russian: Илья Залманович Баскин; born 11 August 1950), known professionally as Elya Baskin, is a Latvian-born Soviet and American character actor.
[1] He first gained attention for his role in Moscow on the Hudson (1984), as Robin Williams' character's best friend.
[2] He is also known for playing Peter Parker's landlord, Mr. Ditkovich, in Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007) and cosmonaut Max Brailovsky in 1984's 2010: The Year We Make Contact.
Baskin was born to a Jewish family in Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union, the son of Frieda and Zalman Baskin.
[3] He attended the Theatre and Variety Arts College in Moscow and won a Festival of Young Actors Award at the Moscow Comedy Theatre.