Merlin Santana (March 14, 1976 - November 9, 2002) was an American actor. Born in Manhattan, New York, Santana was a child actor, first coming into prominence as Rudy Huxtable's boyfriend Stanley in The Cosby Show. After producers noticed his chemistry with Deon Richmond, they were both cast as brothers in the short-lived sitcom Getting By. His most well known role was Romeo Santana, the smooth-talking ladies' man in The Steve Harvey Show.
On November 9, 2002, his life was tragically cut short. After a false rape accusation from a teenage girl, he was shot dead by the girl's boyfriend and his accomplice as Santana was leaving a friend's home with fellow child actor Brandon Adams. He was 26 years old. He is buried in at Saint Raymond's Cemetery in The Bronx, New York.
Selected Filmography
Film
- Showtime (2002) - Hector
- Play'd: A Hip Hop Story (2002) - Mayhem, TV movie
- The Blues (2003) - Goya, direct-to-video film, final film role
Television
- The Cosby Show (1991–1992) - Stanley, recurring role
- Getting By (1993–1994) - Marcus Dixon, main role
- Under One Roof (1995) - Marcus Henry, main role
- Moesha (1996–1999) - Ohagi, recurring role
- The Steve Harvey Show (1996–2002) - Romeo Santana, main role
- Half & Half (2002) - Dante Aldente, episode: "The Big Pimpin' Episode"
