Where Are They Now? The Cast of 'Menace II Society'
The movie, starring Jada Pinkett-Smith and Larenz Tate, hit theaters 30 years ago today.
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With the rise of "hood films" in the early '90s, Allen and Albert Hughes debuted this gritty look inside the life of a Watts, California, teenager. This unflinching look at navigating a brutal existence of drug dealing and gun violence became a box-office hit. On the 30th anniversary of this classic, here's a snapshot of the cast today. (Photo: New Line Cinema)
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Tyrin Turner landed his breakout role playing Caine, a teenager whose life is drawn to the hustle of the streets. After his noteworthy performance, he landed roles in films like Panther and Belly. In 2020, he appeared in Fatale, which starred Michael Ealy and Hillary Swank. He also plays Rico in the Meet the Blacks franchise. (Photo: Rick Davis / Splash News)
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Playing Caine's fatalistic homeboy, O-Dog, turned Larenz Tate into a bonafide film star. The Chicago-born actor continued churning memorable performances in classic films like Dead Presidents, Love Jones and Ray. Tate has never stopped working. In 2017, he joined the cast of Power as Councilman Tate and reprised the role in Power Book II: Ghost. Larenz!(Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
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Jada Pinkett-Smith played Ronnie, a girl looking to escape the insanity of her neighborhood. After marrying Will Smith in 1997, Jada became a Hollywood power player both as an actress and as a producer. Her Facebook talk show Red Table Talk was a massive success but was recently canceled. Fans are eagerly awaiting to see her in the sequel to 2017's Girls Trip. (Photo: Johns PKI/Splash News)
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Samuel L. Jackson played Caine's street-hustling dad. After garnering a breakthrough part in Pulp Fiction, Jackson became a Hollywood A-Lister and one of the hardest-working actors in show business. He's starred in many box office smashes, including the Star Wars and Marvel franchises.
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While Bill Duke was memorable as the detective in Menace, he will forever be known as Abdullah from the classic 1976 comedy Car Wash. Although Duke has maintained a notable acting career over the past four decades, he is equally known for his directing work, helming such films as Hoodlum, Deep Cover and Deacons of Defense. In 2021, he played Curtis in BET's The Oval. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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Charles Dutton was cast as a school teacher and militant dad Mr. Butler. The former prison inmate turned actor hit it big while starring in the title role for the successful TV sitcom Roc. Dutton has turned in many stellar performances for TV shows, including The Sopranos, The L Word and Law & Order: L.A. He starred in the 2015 HBO film Bessie alongside Queen Latifah. Dutton was last seen in the 2016 short, Veneration. (Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo:  Jemal Countess/Getty Images
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Hip-hop music icon Too $hort played gun/drug dealer Lew-Loc. However, the west coast hip hop icon returned to music. He has released a slew of albums and fans are eagerly awaiting Sir Too Short, his 22nd album. (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
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Quincy Jones III, the son of music producing legend Quincy Jones, scored the original music for Menace. QD3, as he's known, has been equally accomplished as a documentary producer, heading critically hailed docs like the Beef franchise, Tupac: Thug Angel and The Freshest Kids, which gives an in-depth history of break-dancing. In 2011, he released a second Tupac doc titled Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel 2. This year, he was the executive producer fo Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur, which is currently on Hulu. (Photo: Matt Carr/Getty Images)