Sam Sarpong

{{Short description|British-born American actor, model and musician (1974–2015)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Sam Sarpong

| image =

| caption =

| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|model|musician}}

| years_active = 1994–2015

| birth_name = Samuel Osei Sarpong Jr.

| birth_date = 19 December 1974

| birth_place = London, England

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2015|10|26|1974|12|19}}

| death_place = Pasadena, California, U.S.

| relatives = June Sarpong (sister)

}}

Samuel Osei Sarpong Jr. (19 December 1974{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-83873130.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307114431/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-83873130.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 March 2016|title=Sarpong Finding his Niches; Former ECR-Hoop Star is Actor, Dancer, Rapper, Talk-show Host |last=Eric Sondheimer|date=9 July 1997|work=Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)|accessdate=28 October 2015|via=HighBeam Research}} – 26 October 2015) was a British-born American actor, model, and musician. He performed in over sixty feature films and fifty-five television shows, including such films as Carmen The Hip Hopera, Love Don't Cost a Thing, Keeping Up with the Steins, Anchor Baby and No Weapons, for which he won best lead actor at the San Diego Black Film Festival. He was also the host on MTV's Yo Momma [https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-137441190 "Actor Sam Sarpong is a perfect role model."]{{dl|date=July 2021}} The News Letter, 5 August 2005. for three seasons. He was one of the first black male models for designer Tommy Hilfiger and was the face of the brand for over six years.Tim Engle, [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=KC&p_theme=kc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=120DF9D14F1CBA88&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM "Singing, acting, modeling: Sam Sarpong is on the verge of something big"], Kansas City Star, 24 May 2008 (pay site).

Personal life and death

Sam Sarpong was born in London and moved to Los Angeles with his father, Sam Sarpong Sr., who is a native of Ghana, when he was 11 years old. He attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, California, where he was a basketball star. When his father moved to Pasadena, Sarpong lived with a friend's family so he could continue attending El Camino Real. When his aspirations for a college and professional basketball career proved unsuccessful, he turned to acting and modelling.Fernando Dominguez, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-07-02-sp-19609-story.html "Running the Fast Break Again : Two Years Out of High School, Sarpong Homes In on Show-Business Career"], Los Angeles Times, 2 July 1995.Eric Sondheimer, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160307114431/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-83873130.html "Sarpong Finding His Niches; Former ECR-Hoop Star Is Actor, Dancer, Rapper, Talk-Show Host"], Los Angeles Daily News, 9 July 1997. via HighBeam Research.

Sarpong died on 26 October 2015 at the age of 40 after jumping from the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, California.{{cite web|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/sam-sarpong-dies-tommy-hilfiger-model-actor-dead-of-apparent-suicide-20152810|title=Sam Sarpong Dies: Tommy Hilfiger Model, Yo Momma Host, Actor Dead of Apparent Suicide at 40|work=Us Weekly|date=28 October 2015|accessdate=28 October 2015}} His death was ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner, pending an autopsy.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/sam-sarpong-dead-yo-momma-1201629312/|title=Sam Sarpong, Co-Host of MTV's 'Yo Momma,' Dies at 40|last=Stedman|first=Alex|date=28 October 2015|work=Variety|accessdate=29 October 2015}}

Career

Sarpong was a co-host of MTV's show Yo Momma, and had since gone on to serve as the host of the BET Awards pre-show All Access, for seven years. At the 2013 BET Awards, he presented the "Best International Artist" category.

Sarpong starred as Paul Unanga in the film Anchor Baby and won Best Lead Actor for this role at the 2012 New York Film Festival. He also guest-starred in "Lord of the Bling", an episode of Veronica Mars.

Sarpong was a fashion editorial magazine campaign for the brand Louis Vuitton, a recipient of the MAA Fashion Award for Male Model of the Year, and twice named by Today's Black Woman magazine on their "Fifty Most Beautiful People" list. He was added to Us Weekly′s "Hot 100 Young Hollywood with Style" list in 2007.Albert Benefo Buabeng, [http://pulse.com.gh/celebrities/list-10-facts-about-the-late-sam-sarpong-id4306573.html "10 facts about the late Sam Sarpong"], Pulse.com.gh, 29 October 2015.

Sarpong was featured in modelling campaigns for the brand Boy London, and in the past served as the international face of the Nelson Mandela Foundation clothing line.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

He posthumously appeared in the seventh episode of American Crime Story playing Byron/Neighbor Man No. 1.{{Cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4277112/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast | title="American Crime Story" Conspiracy Theories (TV Episode 2016)| website=IMDb}}

Selected filmography

Sunset Park (1996) – Washington Heights Basketball Player (uncredited)
No Easy Way (1996) – Gee (uncredited)
Carnival of Wolves (1996) – Gang member #3
All's Fair in Love & War (1997)
Mr. Show with Bob and David (1997-1998) – Professor Murder
American History X (1998) – Jail Inmate (uncredited)
Hash Brown's (1999) – Gangster
Touch (2000)
Chasing Sunsets (2001) – Terrance
King Rikki (2002) – Louis
Masked and Anonymous (2003) – Blunt
Swirl (2003) – Max (uncredited)
Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003) – Kadeem
Everybody Hates Chris (2005, TV Series) – Mario ("Everybody Hates Babysitters")
Johnny Was (2006) – Skip
Keeping Up with the Steins (2006) – Terrence Smythe
Grad Night (2006) – Jerrod Elliott
Nailed (2006) – Scott Scott
Marked (2007) – Marcus
Young Cesar (2007) – Tariq
Grindin (2007) – Morris
Carts (2007) – Conrad
7-10 Split (2007) – Himself (uncredited)
The Sweep (2008) – Chrome
Unemployed (2008) – Big Dime
Farm House (2008) – Jonas
Single Black Female (2009) – Will
The House That Jack Built (2009) – Mace
Dedd Brothers (2009) – Sugar
Church (2010) – Jay
Anchor Baby (2010) – Paul Unanga
The Preacher's Family (2011) – Deion Hines
Trigger (2012) – Trey
Crossed the Line (2014) – Twist
Battered (2014) – Ray Fleming
Tamales and Gumbo (2015)
No Weapon Formed Against Us (2015) – Deion

References

External links

{{IMDb name|id=0765493|name=Sam Sarpong}}
{{cite book|author=J.T.|title=Look: Actor Sam Sarpong|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jCwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA114|accessdate=28 October 2015|date=March 1996|publisher=Vibe Media Group|page=114}}
[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/154369266/samuel-osei-sarpong Find a Grave]

Category:1974 births

Category:2015 deaths

Category:2015 suicides

Category:20th-century English male actors

Category:21st-century English male actors

Category:Black British male actors

Category:El Camino Real High School alumni

Category:English emigrants to the United States

Category:English male film actors

Category:English male models

Category:English male television actors

Category:English television presenters