Yahoo Movies 'Lost' and 'Babylon 5' star Mira Furlan passes away aged 65
Lost and Babylon 5 star Mira Furlan has passed away at the age of 65, her official Twitter account has confirmed.
Furlan played the recurring role of Danielle Rousseau throughout the six-season run of Lost and also portrayed Minbari ambassador Delenn in all five seasons of Babylon 5.
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Babylon 5 director J. Michael Straczynski paid tribute to the star on Twitter, revealing she had been in ill health for several months.
“It is a night of great sadness, for our friend and comrade had gone down the road where we cannot reach her,” Straczynski said.
He added: “Mira was a good and king 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.”
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
Furlan’s career started in her native Croatia, where she studied theatre and took on a number of roles in Yugoslavian film and television.
She played a supporting role in the 1985 film When Father Was Away on Business, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and received an Oscar nomination in the category now known as Best International Feature Film.
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Babylon 5 proved to be her big break in the USA and she subsequently appeared in a number of TV and film roles in the West, including as the voice of Silver Sable in the 1990s Spider-Man animated series.
Fans flocked to social media to express their sadness at Furlan’s passing, as well as lauding her work in both Lost and Babylon 5.
RIP Mira Furlan, one of #LOST's original recurring guest stars. I always loved seeing her name pop up at the beginning of an episode pic.twitter.com/xTkJVvzyO0
— Jacob Stolworthy (@Jacob_Stol) January 22, 2021
RIP Mira Furlan. She was of course a force of nature on Lost, but she was, as @MuseZack said, the heart & soul of Babylon5. I interviewed her about her work as Delenn back in the day, she was a gracious & truly impressive woman. The world has lost an irreplaceable artist. 🙏🏻 💫💚 https://t.co/1ngGL4wfCe
— Mo Ryan (@moryan) January 22, 2021
This one hits hard, I’m not going to lie. Mira Furlan was awesome as Delenn and she makes me cry every time I watch B5‘s “Sleeping in Light” finale. Instead, here she is being a supreme badass. R.I.P.https://t.co/228HzumxrI
— Terry Estep 🏳️🌈 (@terry_estep) January 22, 2021
She played my favourite #Babylon5 character, and the one time I met her, I got to tell her so. RIP, Mira Furlan. https://t.co/fWiY9QGWAn
— Aaron Dembski-Bowden (@adembskibowden) January 22, 2021
Furlan’s most recent screen appearance was as ex-archaeologist Vonn O'Dara in the sci-fi series Space Command.
She had also completed production on the film Burning at Both Ends, alongside Cary Elwes and Jason Patric.
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Furlan was married to Serbian filmmaker Goran Gajić, who helmed an episode of Bablyon 5 in 1998.
The couple have one child together — son Marko Lav Gajić, born in 1998.
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