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Presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky, 41, is best known in Ukraine as a comedian. He has zero political experience — unless you count playing the president of Ukraine on a popular television sitcom. And yet, he is widely expected to win Friday’s vote in a landslide.

Analysts say that Zelensky’s background as a performer is an asset, rather than a hindrance. With the third season of his show, “Servant of the People,” hitting the airwaves last month, he had little need for expensive traditional advertising or probing interviews with political journalists.

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Among Ukraine’s corruption-weary voters, his portrayal of a history teacher who won fame for a viral anti-graft rant before eventually becoming president strikes a chord, even if it isn’t real.

Zelensky’s journey from the small screen to political office has been remarkably swift, but it isn’t unprecedented. In recent years, a number of comedic actors have followed a similar trajectory, often with only limited experience in the field.