Iraqi actor dies of chronic disease in Syria

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi actor Abdelkhaleq al-Mukhtar died late last night in the Syrian capital following a long battle with a chronic disease, an Iraqi media source said on Monday. “A number of Iraqi actors who are currently staying in Syria have informed the Cinema and Theatre Department that Mukhtar passed away in a hospital in Damascus, after his kidneys had stopped working and his condition deteriorated,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. Born in 1960 in the capital Baghdad, Mukhtar graduated from the Fine Arts Academy in 1982. He was awarded a Master’s degree with distinction in 1988. His latest work was a television series, called ‘Nouri Pasha al-Saeed.’ Mukhtar was awarded the best actor prize for his portrayal of late poet Hussein Mardan in Khamsat Aswat (Five Voices), a play by late writer Ghaeb Taama Farhan. SS (P) 1