Michael Batayeh, an actor known for his brief role on the Emmy-winning series “Breaking Bad” and a comedian who was popular in the Arab-American community, died at his home in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He was 52 years old.
His sister Ida Vergollo said he died June 1 in his sleep after a heart attack. A coroner later found problems with his heart, he said.
Mr. Batayeh appeared on “Breaking Bad” as Dennis Markowski, the steady manager of a laundromat that was a front for a meth lab. The character was killed after he showed interest in talking to the Drug Enforcement Administration in exchange for immunity.
As a comedian, Mr. Batayeh performed in major clubs in New York City and Los Angeles, as well as across the country and internationally.
He also had credits on several popular television series, including “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “The Bernie Mac Show” and “Boy Meets World.”
Mr. Batayeh’s role as a taxi driver in “Everybody Loves Raymond” in 1998 signaled to his family that he had arrived as an entertainer, according to Ms. Vergollo, “because that was when my father first saw the his last name on TV.” She said: “My dad was very proud of him and let him know that.”
Michael Anthony Batayeh was born on December 27, 1970 in Detroit, the seventh child of Abraham Batayeh, a Ford factory worker, and Victoria (Dababneh) Batayeh.
The couple immigrated to the United States from Jordan in 1955. Michael Batayeh attended Wayne State University for three years before dropping out and moving to Los Angeles to pursue an art career and start his own comedy company with a friend.
“He was actually made to be a performer from a very, very young age,” said Ms. Vergollo, who recalled that her brother began playing the tabal, a pair of hand drums, at age 5 and continue throughout their adult lives.
“My dad used to drag him up on stage at every wedding,” she said.
To Mr. Batayeh is survived by her sisters Ida Vergollo, Diane Batayeh-Ricketts, MaryAnn Joseph, Madeline Sherman and Theresa Aquino. Her older sister, Jeannie Batayeh, died of cancer in 2016.
Mr. Batayeh often used his family as fodder for comedy. “He made fun of us a lot,” Ms. Vergollo said.
And an affinity for accents made him popular in the Arab-American community, said Ms. Vergollo, who called it “so ready”.
At the invitation of the Jordanian royal family, his sisters said, he performed at a comedy festival in Amman, Jordan’s capital. He also appeared in a comedy special for Showtime Arabia.
The family requests memorial contributions to an organization that provides recreation and mentoring programs for youth in southwest Detroit.
“He would express to us how important he was and how good he felt when he came home and talked to kids or mentored people who wanted to start,” said Ms. Embarrassment
He pointed out that Mr. Batayeh moved permanently to Michigan from California in 2016 when her sister Jeannie was sick, but she was commuting back and forth for work.
“He cared about his community and wanted to give back,” she said, “and that’s the kind of person he was.”
