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, C-Money in The Wash, and Crazy K in Tales from the Hood, MC Hammer's Too Leggit To Quit.
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 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. He was 31 and the father of two young daughters.
A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lamont Bentley moved to Los Angeles with his mother, an aspiring singer. His aptitude for comedy became apparent as he constantly made people laugh at his mother's auditions. It was then that he was encouraged to begin his own entertainment career. He began with commercials, his Starburst commercial being one of the most prominent. He then began to accrue an extensive list of television credits, including co-starring roles in the much-acclaimed "South Central" and "The Client." He also starred in the frequently aired PSA "Fatherhood", which reflects the responsible choice of a teen father who chooses to baby-sit his toddler son instead of playing with his high school football team. In his film debut, Lamont co-starred as Crazy K in the motion picture "Tales From the Hood." Lamont's frenetic, sadistic portrayal of a gangster stuck in his own psychotic nightmare speaks volumes of his versatility. Light years away from the role of Crazy K, he co-starred as the eternally hungry, happy-go-lucky Hakeem Campbell on the UPN sitcom "Moesha" also starring teen r&b diva Brandy. Lamont and his partner, Tyson, formed "Uprise" - a positive hip-hop duo with chart-topping potential. He hosted eight weeks of THE UPN Movie Trailer, providing commentaries on movies such as Marathon Man and Devlin, proving once again his talents beyond acting. Sadly, he died in a car crash on the night of 18th January 2005.
