01 / Characters · 04 of 07
Admiral General Aladeen
The Supreme Leader of Wadiya, a dictator invented to make fun of real ones.
2012
02 / Who he is
Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen is the Supreme Leader of Wadiya, a desert republic on the Red Sea that exists only in The Dictator (2012). He was written, not caught on a hidden camera: after Borat and Brüno the face was too well known, so the satire moved into a scripted film aimed at the strongmen of the era and the democracies happy to do business with them. Aladeen has a beard, a chest of medals, a nuclear programme, a claimed 137 PhDs and no idea how ordinary people live. Dumped in New York without the beard, he has to find out.
Character file
Republic of Wadiya
By order of the Supreme Leader
- Full name
- Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen
- Title
- President-Prime Minister Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen
- Nationality
- Wadiyan. Wadiya is a fictional country in East Africa, just below Sudan.
- Occupation
- Dictator and Supreme Leader of Wadiya
- Religion
- Atheist; a follower of the Cult of Aladeen.
- Co-writer David Mandel, 2012: "Technically speaking, the dictator is North African. But he is not Muslim. There is no mention of Muslims, or Muslim humor." J. The Jewish News of Northern California, May 18, 2012
- Ethnicity
- East African
- In the film: 'I am not an Arab.'
- Style
- Beloved Oppressor
- Family
- Omar Aladeen (father), Tamir Mafraad (uncle)
- Spouse
- Zoey (an American Jewish woman he meets in the US)
- Children
- Expecting one by the end of the film
03 / The reel
Best of Admiral General Aladeen
The vanity of authoritarian rulers, and how comfortably democracies accommodate them when it suits their interests.
Trailer, 2012, Paramount Pictures UK
The Dictator UK trailer
The trailer: a Supreme Leader, a nuclear programme and a very long list of grievances.
Clip, 2012, Paramount Pictures Australia
The Dictator, 'Power' clip
Aladeen on power, in the studio's own clip.
Awards, 2012, E! Entertainment
Aladeen spills 'Kim Jong Il's ashes' on Ryan Seacrest, Oscars red carpet 2012
The 2012 Oscars red carpet, an urn, and Ryan Seacrest's lapel.
Clip, 2012, Paramount Pictures Australia
The Dictator, official Australian clip
A second studio clip, for the Australian release.
More
Trailer, 2012, Netflix
The Dictator trailer (Netflix)
Netflix's upload of the trailer when the film joined the service.
04 / Where he appeared
Where he appeared
- 2012The DictatorFilm, Paramount Pictures, directed by Larry Charles
- 2012The 84th Academy AwardsRed carpet, in character
05 / The republic
Wadiya
The film gives Aladeen a country: the Republic of Wadiya, a desert state on the Red Sea, bordered by Sudan, with a nuclear programme, a capital named after its ruler and a flag of green and orange. It exists only in The Dictator.
06 / On the record
Notable moments
Aladeen arrives at the Oscars in a Rolls-Royce with Wadiyan flags and spills 'Kim Jong Il's ashes' over Ryan Seacrest on live television.
Co-writer David Mandel explains where Aladeen comes from, and where he does not.
The E! interview itself, as the network broadcast it.
07 / Honours
Awards and accolades
Aladeen's honours are the ones he awarded himself. Sacha's are in the Awards section.