Iraqi Artists Union mourns the passing of Faiq Al-Hakim

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Artists Union announced with deep sorrow on Tuesday the passing of renowned Iraqi actor and director, Faiq Al-Hakim, at the age of 73 after battling a serious illness. One of his most notable works was his contribution to the Arabic dubbing of the popular children's program "Sesame Street" (Iftah Ya Simsim).

In a statement, the union stated, "The Iraqi Artists Union mourns the passing of the artist and director Faiq Al-Hakim, who passed away today after a severe illness."

The statement continued, "The late artist was born in 1940 and graduated in drama from Germany, holding a master's degree in German literature in 1968. He later returned to Germany in early 1970 to complete his postgraduate studies, earning his doctorate by the end of 1971. He then moved to the United States, where he worked as a professor of German language at a university in California, Los Angeles."

Faiq Al-Hakim returned to Iraq in 1975 and became a professor of theater history at the College of Fine Arts in Baghdad, specializing in theatrical arts. In addition to his academic work, he authored a two-part book titled "History of Theater" and composed a book titled "Eight Plays for Children," some of which were directed and performed as theatrical productions for young audiences.

He also directed the play "The rule and the exception," based on the work of German author Bertolt Brecht. His theatrical contributions continued alongside his academic career until 1978 when he was assigned by director Faisal Al-Yasiri to dub certain dialogues for the first part of "Sesame Street" (Iftah Ya Simsim). He later dubbed the animated series "Around the World in 80 Days" in Iraq as well.

In the summer of 1980, Faiq Al-Hakim left Iraq and settled in Kuwait after being summoned by the Joint Program Production Institution for Gulf Arab States. He was tasked with managing the dubbing department of the institution, where he supervised numerous projects, including documentary programs and news coverage.

He later established a television production company focused on producing documentary programs and covering local news. He actively contributed to the dubbing department and continued to produce a variety of educational, informative, and developmental programs. His work included the road safety program "Stop" and the reality series "In Seventy-Nine Episodes."

Faiq Al-Hakim also worked for German, Italian, and French television stations during his career. He was married to the renowned actress Sanaa Al-Takmeji and had two children, Saif and Ala.