Merlin Santana - wikipedia Merlin Santana This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( August 2015 ) Merlin Santana ( 1976 - 03 - 14 ) March 14, 1976 New York City, New York, U.S. November 9, 2002 ( 2002 - 11 - 09 ) ( aged 26 ) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Cause of death Homicide Resting place Saint Raymond 's Cemetery Nationality American Occupation Actor, Rapper Years active 1991 -- 2002 Merlin Santana ( March 14, 1976 -- November 9, 2002 ) was an American actor. Santana was best known for his roles as Rudy Huxtable 's boyfriend Stanley on The Cosby Show, Marcus Dixon on Getting By, Marcus Henry in Under One Roof and as high school student Romeo Santana on The WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show. Contents 1 Early life 2 Acting career 3 Death 4 Filmography 5 References 6 External links Early life Born in New York City to parents from the Dominican Republic, Santana 's career in show business began with a push from his parents, who wanted to keep him off the tough streets of New York. He began his career at the age of three as an advertising model for a fast food chain. His first screen appearance was as an extra in the Woody Allen film, The Purple Rose of Cairo. Acting career In 1991, Santana landed a recurring role on The Cosby Show as Stanley, the boyfriend of Rudy Huxtable and the rival of Rudy 's friend Kenny ( Deon Richmond ). He was then cast as Marcus Dixon in the short - lived sitcom, Getting By, starring Cindy Williams and Telma Hopkins. Deon Richmond was cast as his brother Darren, due to their interaction on The Cosby Show. In November 1994, Santana appeared on Sister, Sister as Joey, in which he falls in love with Tia and Tamera ( Tia and Tamera Mowry ) at Rocket Burger. In 1995, Santana was cast as Marcus Henry in the short - lived CBS family drama Under One Roof, co-starring with James Earl Jones, Joe Morton and Vanessa Bell Calloway. Between 1996 and 1999, he played the role of Ohagi on Moesha. In 1996, he landed the role of Romeo Santana on The Steve Harvey Show. In 2001, he played the role of Jermaine in the movie Flossin. In 2002, he appeared in the VH1 TV movie, Play 'd : A Hip Hop Story with Toni Braxton. That same year, Santana had a role in the Eddie Murphy comedy Showtime. His last television acting role was on the UPN series, Half & Half ; his last film role was a 2003 comedy film, The Blues with Deon Richmond. Death On November 9, 2002, Santana was shot in the head and killed as he and his best friend, former child actor Brandon Quintin Adams were in a car leaving another man 's home in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles. Damien Andre Gates fired the shot that entered through the trunk of the vehicle in which Santana was a passenger. The bullet penetrated the right - front passenger headrest and entered Santana 's head, killing him instantly. Damien was convicted of the first - degree murder of Santana and the attempted murder of Adams and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences plus 70 years in prison. Brandon Douglas Bynes received a 23 - year sentence after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon, even though none of the shots fired from his revolver entered the vehicle. An officer involved in the case testified that Monique King, reportedly Gates 's girlfriend and aged 15 at the time of Santana 's death, falsely claimed that Santana made sexual advances towards her, which prompted Gates ' and Bynes ' attack. King was found guilty of second - degree murder and attempted murder but acquitted on two murder charges, receiving ten years in juvenile custody. Santana was 26 years old at the time of his death. He was buried on November 18, 2002, at Saint Raymond 's Cemetery in The Bronx, New York. Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1991 Major Dad Marvin 2 episodes 1991 Law & Order Roneld Griggs Episode : `` Mushrooms '' 1991 The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez Newsboy 1991 -- 1992 The Cosby Show Stanley 7 episodes In the Line of Duty : Street War Mikie Television movie 1993 -- 1994 Getting By Marcus Dixon 31 episodes Sister, Sister Joey Episode : `` Joey 's Choice '' 1995 Under One Roof Marcus Henry 6 episodes 1995 Street Gear Derick Davis 13 episodes 1995 -- 1996 Hangin ' with Mr. Cooper Calvin 2 episodes Harambee ! Flex Television movie 1996 -- 1999 Moesha Ohagi 4 episodes 1996 -- 2002 The Steve Harvey Show Romeo Santana 122 episodes NYPD Blue Warren Episode : `` A Draining Experience '' Flossin Jermaine 2002 Showtime Hector 2002 JAG Seaman Aubrey McBride Episode : `` Port Chicago '' 2002 Play 'd : A Hip Hop Story Mayhem Television movie 2002 Half & Half Dante Aldente Episode : `` The Big Pimpin ' Episode '' 2003 The Blues Goya Direct - to - video release References Jump up ^ Josephs, Tasheka ( 2006 - 11 - 09 ). `` Remembering Merlin Santana On His 4 - Year Death Anniversary ''. vibe.com. Archived from the original on 2009 - 08 - 25. Retrieved 2009 - 09 - 15. Jump up ^ Blankstein, Andrew ( March 17, 2004 ). `` Teenage Girl Convicted for Role in Actor 's Killing ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 9, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Three Sentenced in Shooting Death of TV Actor Merlin Santana ''. Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 105 ( 19 ) : 18. 2004 - 05 - 10. ISSN 0021 - 5996. External links Biography portal Merlin Santana on IMDb Merlin Santana at Find a Grave Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Merlin_Santana&oldid=842398488 '' Categories : 1976 births 2002 deaths 2002 murders in the United States 20th - century American male actors 21st - century American male actors Male actors from New York City American male child actors American child models American male television actors American male film actors American murder victims American people of Dominican Republic descent Deaths by firearm in California Hispanic and Latino American male actors Murdered male actors People from Manhattan People murdered in Los Angeles Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from August 2015 All articles needing additional references Pages using infobox person with unknown parameters Articles with hCards Find a Grave template with ID same as Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia تۆرکجه Čeština Deutsch فارسی Français Edit links This page was last edited on 22 May 2018, at 05 : 46. 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Question: who played romeo on the steve harvey show
Answer: Merlin Santana