The 37-year-old was shot dead after he interrupted three thieves stealing the catalytic converter from his car in downtown Los Angeles on 25 May.

Two teenagers have been charged with murder over the shooting of US actor Jonny Wactor.

Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18, were charged in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday, District Attorney George Gascon said at a news conference.Another 18-year-old who authorities allege was with them, Leonel Gutierrez, was charged with grand theft and attempted robbery.

A fourth, 22-year-old Frank Olano, was charged with being an accessory after the fact.

All four men were arrested on Thursday.

Wactor, 37, was best known for his role as Brando Corbin in the long-running US soap opera General Hospital between 2020 and 2022.

He was shot dead when he interrupted three thieves stealing the catalytic converter from his car on 25 May.

Police said Wactor had left a rooftop bar in downtown Los Angeles when he saw three men who had hoisted his car.

Officers said one of them fired at him without provocation and killed him.

The men fled in a car and Wactor was taken to hospital, where he was later declared dead, police said.

Officers asked for the public's help in identifying the suspects on 5 August, releasing surveillance images of them and their getaway car.

"The loss of this talented young actor, who was in the prime of his life and had so much to offer the world, is deeply felt by all of us," Mr Gascon said.

Wactor had also appeared in a variety of films and TV series, including Station 19, NCIS and Westworld, as well as in the video game Call Of Duty: Vanguard.

At a news conference earlier in the week, his mother described the feeling of losing him.

"Grief is my constant companion," Scarlett Wactor said.

"I can't wish him happy birthday on August 31 - he would have been 38. I can't ask if he's coming home for Christmas. I can't ask how his day went.