lamont bentley

Artimus Lamont Bentley, an up-and-coming actor who was best known for playing Hakeem Campbell on the UPN comedy "Moesha," died on Jan. 19 in a car accident. He was 31.

The Milwaukee native was in his teens when he moved to Los Angeles with his mother, Loyce, an aspiring singer. Bentley's knack for making people laugh during his mother's auditions inspired him to build a show business career of his own.

Bentley first worked in commercials, hawking Starburst candies in television ads and encouraging teen fathers to take responsibility for their offspring in a public service announcement. He then made numerous guest appearances on TV shows, such as "The Client," "The Sentinel," "Soul Food," "Clueless" and "NYPD Blue." Bentley got his big break in 1996 when he was hired to star opposite R&B singer Brandy on the sitcom "Moesha." His latest project was the short independent film "Shards."

Outside of acting, Bentley had an interest in rap music. In recent years, he and his partner Tyson formed the unsigned hip-hop duo, Uprise. Sisters in Style magazine once named Bentley one of the top 20 African-American "hunks" in the entertainment industry. The mayor of Milwaukee also honored him with a "Lamont Bentley Day."

Early Wednesday morning, Bentley was traveling by himself on the 118 Freeway near Simi Valley, Calif. His Mercedes-Benz exited the highway, ran a stop sign, blew through a chain link fence and rolled down an embankment. Bentley was ejected from the vehicle and into traffic where five cars struck him. Test results showed no drugs or alcohol in his system.

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Lamont Bentley


Birth name Artimus Lamont Bentley
Born October 25, 1973(1973-10-25)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
United States
Died January 18, 2005 (aged 31) (age 31)
Los Angeles, California
Artimus Lamont Bentley (October 25, 1973 � January 18, 2005) was an American television and film actor. He was known for his role as Hakeem Campbell on Moesha, and Crazy K in Tales from the Hood.

Bentley was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and moved to Los Angeles with his mother, Loyce, who wished to ignite her career as a singer. Bentley was befriended by author and hotel magnate Christopher Spencer, who was his personal manager during his career on Moesha.

He worked on the film Buffalo Soldiers with Danny Glover. He was involved in a lawsuit with a security guard at Sunset/Gower Studios in Hollywood in which the guard accused Bentley and his friends of beating him.

On January 18, 2005, he was killed in a single-car accident in southern California's Ventura County. He was driving on Highway 118 near Simi Valley (which is 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.[1][2] He was 31 and the father of two young daughters
Former child actor Lamont Bentley, best known for his "Hakeem Campbell" character on the TV series, "Moesha," was killed Tuesday night (Jan. 18) in a single-car accident when his car careened over a San Diego Freeway embankment, ejecting him (the sole passenger) from the vehicle.

Born "Artimus Lamont Bentley" in Milwaukee on October 25, 1973, his mother, Loyce, moved the family to Los Angeles, in the hopes that she could ignite her own career as a singer. But Lamont's antics at his mother's auditions caused everyone to laugh, and someone suggested he get in front of the camera, as a child comic. He was cast in a Starbucks TV spot, among others, and his job as a child actor was launched. Later on, he would portray juveniles on TV, even though he was over 18 and "playing down." Most notably, his performance as a teenaged father (in a public-service announcement) who opts to babysit his infant son instead of playing in a high school football game, was lauded by his peers.

This very talented young man had many "irons in the fire" at the time of his passing, and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family, which includes his daughters Artesia and Brazil