BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Artimus Lamont Bentley (October 25, 1973 – January 19, 2005), best known as Lamont Bentley, was an American actor and rapper. He was known for his role as Hakeem Campbell on Moesha and the series' spin-off The Parkers.
Career
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 1995, 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 Washopposite 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.
Death
Shortly after midnight on January 19, 2005, Bentley was driving alone when he 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). Witnesses to the accident stated that Bentley's vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed towards the Rocky Peak Fire Road off ramp. After running through a stop sign, the vehicle went through a chain-link fence situated across the street and rolled down an embankment. Bentley was ejected from the vehicle into traffic where five cars struck him before help could arrive.[4]
He sustained multiple blunt force injuries and was pronounced dead at 12:23 a.m. Bentley is survived by two daughters and his mother with whom he lived in Granada Hills, Los Angeles.[4]
A memorial service for Bentley was held at the Serenity Funeral Home in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 24, 2005.[5] He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Duet | Snake | Episode: "Brother from Another Zip Code" |
| 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 | |
| 2005 | "Wifey" | Movie | |
| 2007 | A Day in the Life | L Mob | Released posthumously                                                                                               |
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