Actor and comedian Mike Batayeh, best known for his role in “Breaking Bad,” where he played laundromat manager Dennis Markowski, has died at the age of 52.
Batayeh’s sister shared the news via Facebook on June 4. “He will be greatly missed by those who loved him and his great ability to bring laughter and joy to so many,” the statement read. According to TMZ, the performer died of a heart attack while in his sleep on June 1. He passed in his Michigan home.
The comedian appeared in three episodes of the award-winning AMC drama as the manager of Gus Fring’s (Giancarlo Esposito) industrial laundromat. In the series, the laundromat was a cover for what was actually a super meth lab used by Walt (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul).
Batayeh started his acting career playing a cabbie in “Everybody Loves Raymond” in 1998. Over the years he appeared in “Boy Meets World,” “JAG,” “The Shield,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” “Sleeper Cell,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Marco Polo.” As for films, he appeared in “American Dreamz” and “Don’t Mess With the Zohan” and had a leading role in “Detroit Unleaded.”
A native of Detroit, Batayeh was also known for his work as a comedian. He performed in comedy scene staples such as the Gotham Comedy Club in New York and the Laugh Factory, the Comedy Store and the Ice House in Los Angeles. He was part of the first wave of Western comics to perform in the Middle East, including Dubai, and filmed a special for Showtime Arabia as well as Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan.
