Salim Al Basri

Salim Al-Basri was an Iraqi actor and comedian known for his role of Haji Radhi in the 1960s Iraqi television comedy series Tahit Moos Al-Hallaq. He was born in Baghdad in 1926 to a family of clothing merchants. He studied at the Aweyna High School and the Faculty of Arts and Literature of Baghdad University, where he obtained his B.A. in 1954. He worked as a high school teacher and a banker before joining the television industry in 1958. He wrote and performed many comedy and drama plays, such as Zero-Carr, Always in my Heart, Six Chairs, Do not Agree, The Point of View, An Artist against his Will, New Street, Love in Baghdad, Workshops to Whom it may Concern, Their Patience and If. He also appeared in several films, such as The Autumn Leaves, Faieq is Getting Married, The Carriage and Horse and Building No. 13. He was influenced by the philosophical ideas of Ibn Khaldun, Sigmund Freud and Karl Mannheim, and applied them to the Iraqi context. He died on 8 May 1997 in Baghdad. He is considered one of the most famous artists in Iraq and one of the pioneers of Iraqi television.