Mira Furlan obit

Mira Furlan: Babylon 5 and Lost actress dies at 65

 

 She was not on the list.

Babylon 5 and Lost actress Mira Furlan has died at the age of 65, her family and management have confirmed.

Furlan played Minbari Ambassador Delenn in the 1990s sci-fi TV drama, Babylon 5, and Danielle Rousseau in the noughties mystery drama, Lost.

Her family told the BBC the Croatian actress died on Wednesday due to complications with West Nile Virus. 

"It is with great sadness that I confirm the passing of Mira Furlan" the statement read.

"She was a woman full of kindness, strength and compassion."

It continued: "She died peacefully at her home in Los Angeles, surrounded by her family.

"We will all continue to celebrate her life and legacy, and know she'll always be here with us."

West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes in many countries, but not in the UK, according to the NHS website.

    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

Babylon 5 creator J Michael Straczynski described his "great sadness", saying: "Our friend and comrade had gone down the road where we cannot reach her."

A message on Furlan's Twitter account, confirmed to be taken from the autobiography she was working on, read: "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."

    — Mira Furlan (@FurlanMira) January 22, 2021

Straczynski said he had "known for some time now that Mira's health was failing".

He continued: "We kept hoping that she would improve. Mira was a good and kind woman, a stunningly talented performer, and a friend to everyone in the cast and crew of Babylon 5, and we are all devastated by the news."

Furlan starred in all five seasons of Babylon 5, from 1994-1998, after which she gave birth to her only son Marko Lav and released an album titled Songs From Movies That Have Never Been Made.

From 2004-2010, she played a scientist stranded on a remote island in the hit mystery drama series Lost.

'Kind of a miracle'

Born in Zagreb, the actress appeared in the film When Father Was Away on Business, which won the coveted Palme d'Or prize at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival. It also received an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film. 

She emigrated to the US with her husband, director Goran Gajic, in 1991, at the start of the war in the former Yugoslavia. 

"It was completely like starting over, as if someone had taken a big eraser and erased my life," Furlan said in an interview with Daily Dragon Online in 2012.

"It was a strange feeling. But at the same time, we came to New York. I've always loved New York, and I've always thought that it's like living in the world. It's the world, not just one city, but it's everything!"

She added: "We had four suitcases. But then, somehow, there was an agent who wanted to send me - not sign me, but send me just for trial purposes - send me to a couple of auditions. And one of them was Babylon 5. So it was kind of a miracle!

"The more I live here, the more it's clear to me what a miracle it was. I didn't quite understand it in those times."

She also wrote the stage play Until Death Do Us Part, set in 1970s Zagreb.

Selected filmography

Film Year        Title     Role     Notes   Ref

1985    Horvatov izbor            Eva Horvatek             

1985    When Father Was Away on Business            Ankica Vidmar                      

1986    The Beauty of Vice     Jaglika                        

1988    Brothers by Mother     Vranka                       

1988    El camino del sur        Bessi              

2008    The Tour         Sonja              

2010    Cirkus Columbia         Lucija             

2010    The Abandoned          Cica                

2013    Twice Born     Velida

2014    With Mum      Jasna              

TV Year          Title     Role     Notes   Ref

1990–1991      A Better Life   Finka Pašalić              

1993–1998      Babylon 5        Delenn                        

1997    Spider-Man     Silver Sable     voice  

2004–2010      Lost     Danielle Rousseau      Recurring Role (Season 1–4)

Guest (Season 6): 22 episodes           

2008    The Storks Will Return           Jagoda                        

2009    NCIS   Dina Risi         "South by Southwest", Season 6, Episode 17            

2016    Just Add Magic           The Traveller "Just Add Mamma P", Season 1, Episode 7  

Video Games Year     Title     Role     Notes

2015    Payday 2         The Butcher    Voice and likeness, also appeared in live action trailer