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Mira Furlan, the Croatian actress who portrayed the Minbari ambassador Delenn on the 1990s sci-fi series Babylon 5, has died. She was 65.
Furlan died Wednesday at her home in Los Angeles of complications from West Nile virus, her manager, Chris Roe, announced.
On the big screen, Furlan starred in Emir Kusturica’s Palme d’Or-winning When Father Was Away on Business (1985); in Cirkus Columbia (2010), directed by Bosnia’s Danis Tanovic; and in Seaburners (2014), a Berlin Festival entry from Turkish helmer Melisa Onel.
She also was known for her recurring turn as the French researcher Danielle Rousseau on ABC’s Lost.
Furlan appeared on 111 episodes over all five seasons (1993-98) of Warner Bros. TV’s Babylon 5, which aired in syndication and on TNT. On Twitter, series creator J. Michael Straczynski paid tribute to her and noted her “fiery and fearless side that fought ceaselessly for her art.”
It is a night of great sadness, for our friend and comrade had gone down the road where we cannot reach her. But as with all things, we will catch up with her in time, and I believe she will have many stories to tell us, and many new roles to share with the universe. pic.twitter.com/HyQlqyC19v
— J. Michael Straczynski (@straczynski) January 22, 2021
Born on Sept. 7, 1955, in Zagreb in the former Yugoslavia, Furlan starred on stage for the Croatian National Theatre and emigrated to the U.S. in 1991.
Survivors include her husband, Goran Gajić.
Roe shared an excerpt from an autobiography that Furlan was working on:
“I look at the stars. It’s a clear night and the Milky Way seems so near. That’s where I’ll be going soon. ‘We’re all star stuff.’ I suddenly remember Delenn’s line from [Straczynski’s] script. Not a bad prospect. I am not afraid. In the meantime, let me close my eyes and sense the beauty around me. And take that breath under the dark sky full of stars. Breathe in. Breathe out. That’s all.”
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