RASSIM AL-JUMAILI, 69
Iraqi comedian
Rassim al-Jumaili, a veteran Iraqi comedian who left his homeland after the U.S. invasion and portrayed a sarcastic dictator in his final role this year, died of heart disease yesterday in Syria, where he fled in 2003, Iraq's Sharqiyah satellite channel reported.
Mr. al-Jumaili's last role was in the series The Leader, which drew a large Iraqi audience during the holy month of Ramadan. In it he played an unnamed dictator. The series was believed to be a parody of the post-Saddam Hussein administration.