Samuel Monroe Jr., ‘Menace II Society’ Star, Dies at 52
Samuel Monroe Jr., a veteran Hollywood character actor and star of Menace II Society, has died. He was 52.
“I want to thank all of my facebook family and friends new and old for praying for Samuel Monroe Jr., my son. But today God called him home. Please honor my final request to pray for the family, especially his 3 children,” Joyce Patton, Monroe’s mother, said in a Facebook post early on Thursday morning.
Tayonna Stewart, daughter of Shawna Stewart, Monroe’s partner, in a Go Fund Me page that asked for donations to help offset steep medical care costs mentioned the actor had been battling severe meningitis and had been on life support for months as he received round-the-clock care.
That led to mounting health complications for Monroe Jr., including serious pneumonia due to a lung infection. “The emotional and financial strain on his family has been immense, over the last nine months with Samuel being in multiple hospitals and two rehabilitation centers,” the fundraising page stated.
In the days before his death, Patton filed for court-directed conservatorship to allow her to make final decisions around his life, according to TMZ. Professor Rel Dowdell, director of film studies at Hampton University, paid tribute to the veteran actor for standout roles in Black cinema classics.
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“Samuel Monroe Jr. was an unusually gifted character actor who truly mastered the authenticity and depth of urban characters in hit films like Menace II Society, Set It Off, Tales from the Hood and many others. There was never a modicum of doubt that whatever character he played on the screen was going to be indelible,” Dowdell said.
Born on Nov. 28, 1973 in Los Angeles, Monroe Jr.’s first acting role was in Patti LaBelle’s series Out All Night, and he had additional TV roles in The Lion’s Den and The Steve Harvey Show. His breakout film role came with New Line’s 1993 crime drama Menace II Society where he played Ilena’s cousin. The film was shot around the time of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
As a stalwart in Black movies, Monroe Jr. also played Lorenz in Set It Off, appearing opposite Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and Vivica A. Fox, Bulldog in Tales From the Hood and Sam in the buddy comedy Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood.
He had other TV credits, often in supporting roles, including NYPD Blue, Murder One, Smart Guy and Southland.
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