After shining in minor roles in the film and TV world, Mike Batayeh has passed away at the age of 52. Batayeh was best known for his role in Breaking Bad as well as minor parts on shows such as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
In a statement given by his family, Batayeh passed away in his home on June 1st of a heart attack, saying: “He will be greatly missed by those who loved him and his great ability to bring laughter and joy to so many”.
Batayeh first rose to prominence with bit parts appearing in sitcoms such as Everybody Loves Raymond and Boy Meets World. From there, he remained a character actor in films such as Adam Sandler’s You Don’t Mess With Zohan before landing a role as Dennis Markowski in Breaking Bad.
Markowski appears in midway through the AMC series when Walter White and Jesse Pinkman begin working with Gus Fring. After settling into the business of cooking meth, Fring moves the pair into a laundromat to use as a coverup, where Markowski is the manager.
Batayeh also shined in various other roles following his appearance on the highly acclaimed drama Breaking Bad. Outside of the dramatic pieces, he also worked on the crew for the superhero film X:Men Days of Future Past and the role of Ref on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Since his work in various TV roles, Batayeh had not been nearly as active in the acting field for the past few years, with his latest role being a brief role of Nacho in the TV movie Prank of America and the crime film Dirty in 2016.
In his obituary, the family paid tribute to Batayeh’s memory, stating that he was “always passionate about helping youth in the community where he lived and grew up facing similar challenges”. Despite his death from a heart attack, there had been no history of heart problems prior to his death.
