Otis from “Chicago Fire,” played by Yuri Sardarov, was a beloved, pivotal member of the cast for eight seasons, but he has not graced the screen since 2019 — so what happened? Unfortunately, Otis, whose full name is Brian “Otis” Zvonecek, suffered the same fate that so many real firefighters have suffered: he died on the job. If you’ve kept up with the show, you know Sardarov had one of the most dramatic Chicago One exits in the history of the show, at least onscreen. Upon risking his life to extinguish a four-alarm mattress factory fire, Otis was tragically and fatally wounded, later dying in the hospital despite receiving medical attention. (You can hear the hearts breaking everywhere.)
While a number of factors can contribute to a franchise killing a character, including contract disputes and creative differences, that wasn’t the case for Sardarov. According to “Chicago Fire” showrunner Derek Hass, Sardarov’s character was sacrificed for the integrity of the show’s plot. Otis’ death, no matter how tragic, reinforced that, in the real world of firefighting, there are casualties. “But then two, when we decided it was going to be Otis, there was some talk about, ‘Do we make it Ritter?’ but it felt like that was almost not as serious,” Hass explained to TVLine. “It almost wouldn’t be the same situation or effect, because he was such a new character that the audience would think, ‘Oh, we were just doing that intentionally from the beginning,’ because it wouldn’t have had the stakes that it would have if it were a core cast member.” He added, “And then we just decided it would be Otis because he lives with Cruz and Brett, and he’s on Casey’s truck, and he’s in Boden’s house, and he’s best friends with Mouch, and owns a bar with Herrmann…”
Unsurprisingly, fans took Otis’ death really hard. However, Sardarov has done some pretty exciting things since leaving the show.
What Yuri Sardarov has done since Chicago Fire
As Derek Haas explained to TVLine, Yuri Sardarov was refreshingly open to the idea of leaving the “Chicago Fire” cast after he notified him about his shocking character arc. After exiting the show, Sardarov spoke to The Chicago Tribune and revealed he was excited about embracing a new chapter of life, even if the death of his iconic character forced him to embrace the change. “But it’s this weird ‘I am free, I can do whatever I want’ feeling,” he said about his post-“Chicago Fire” emotions. “I have to honor that opportunity.” He continued, “For the past few years I’ve been on-and-off writing. All kinds of writing, whether that’s film and television or maybe a book in the future. That’s always been something that’s tugged at me.” Sardarov also cited an actor’s lack of control on television versus the freedom he’d have to pursue his own creative activities.
In the same interview, Sardarov revealed he and his then-girlfriend were gearing up to move from his “home” of Chicago to Los Angeles because it “was the best option at the moment.” But a change of scenery isn’t all that he’s experienced since leaving the beloved NBC property. For starters, he’s made good use of his time away from the Chicago One universe, proving he’s not an actor Hollywood won’t cast. The “Chicago Fire” alum has appeared in six projects over the past six years, most notably in two episodes of “The Rookie” and one episode of “FBI: International.” He also appeared in 2023’s “Daddy,” a comedy about fatherhood. Sardarov’s most recent credit is a 2024 film called “The Invite,” where he played the role of Sasha.
On the personal front, in 2023, he posed for British Vogue with his new bride, Madi Minju, after they eloped. “Thank you for shooting our elopement and congratulations on being a featured artist in British Vogue,” he captioned the Instagram post.
