| Lamont Bentley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Artimus Lamont Bentley October 25, 1973 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | January 19, 2005 (aged 31) Ventura County, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1990–2005 |
Lamont Bentley (October 25, 1973 – January 19, 2005) was an American actor and rapper. He was known for his role as Hakeem Campbell on Moesha and the series' spin-off The Parkers.
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Bentley was born Artimus Lamont Bentley in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and moved to Los Angeles with his mother, Loyce, who wished to pursue a career as a professional singer.[1] He began his career as a child actor appearing in television commercials and guest spots on various television series before landing a role on the short-lived but critically acclaimed television series South Central in 1994. In 1996, South Central creator Ralph Farquhar cast Bentley in the series Moesha, which ran for six seasons on UPN.[2]
After Moesha ended, Bentley continued acting while pursuing a career as a rapper.[3] In 2001, he appeared as C-Money in The Wash opposite Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. That same year, he portrayed Tupac Shakur in the television biopic Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story. Bentley made one of his last onscreen appearances in Spike Lee's crime drama Sucker Free City.
In the early morning hours of January 19, 2005, Bentley was killed in a single-car accident in southern California's Ventura County. He was driving on Highway 118 near Simi Valley (30 miles northwest of Los Angeles) when his vehicle went over an embankment, ejecting him (the sole occupant) from the vehicle and into traffic where five cars struck him.[4] He is survived by two young daughters, Artesia and Brazil Bentley.[5]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Gabriel's Fire | Teen | Episode: "Windows" |
| 1991 | Equal Justice | Childs | Episode: "Courting Disaster" |
| 1994 | South Central | Rashad | 5 episodes |
| 1995 | Family Matters | Andre | Episode: "An Unlikely Match" |
| 1995 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Dom | Episode: "What About Your Friends" |
| 1995 | Tales from the Hood | Crazy K | |
| 1995 | The Parent 'Hood | Damon | Episode: "Robert in the 'Hood" |
| 1995 | Courthouse | Raymond | Episode: "One Flew Over the Courthouse" |
| 1996 | The Client | K-Boy-Kool | Episode: "Motherless Child" |
| 1996–2001 | Moesha | Hakeem Campbell | 127 episodes |
| 1997 | A Day in the Life of Mia | ||
| 1997 | The Sentinel | Marcus Watson | Episode: "Pennies from Heaven" |
| 1997 | Buffalo Soldiers | Corporal Sea | Television movie |
| 1998 | NYPD Blue | Arnell | Episode: "Honeymoon at Viagra Falls" |
| 1999 | The Breaks | Darryl | |
| 1999 | Clueless | Hakeem | Episode: "Prom Misses, Prom Misses" |
| 1999–2002 | The Parkers | Hakeem Campbell | 3 episodes |
| 2000 | Soul Food | Pruitt | Episode: "Bad Luck" |
| 2001 | Gabriela | Nick | |
| 2001 | The Wash | C-Money | |
| 2001 | Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story | Tupac Shakur | Television movie |
| 2002 | The Proud Family | Gary (Voice) | Episode: "Hip-Hop Helicopter" |
| 2004 | Shards | Thomas | |
| 2004 | Sucker Free City | Ahmir | Television movie |
| 2005 | The Tenants | Male Partygoer | |
| 2007 | A Day in the Life | L Mob | Released posthumously |