Mira Furlan, the actress who played Minbari Ambassador Delenn on the sci-fi series Babylon 5, has passed away. She was 65 years old. The creator of Babylon 5, J. Michael Straczynski, confirmed the news on Twitter. He also shared a lengthy tribute to Furlan.
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
In his letter, Straczynski touched upon Furlan’s history as an actress in Croatia who was forced to flee the Croatian War of Independence with her husband, director Goran Gajić. Despite threats against her life, Furlan had remained as part of a traveling theater group in the midst of war. Regardless, Furlan downplayed her actions, according to Straczynski.
“I expressed my admiration for her courage, but she shrugged and waved it off,” wrote Straczynski. “‘What’s the worst that could have happened? Yes, they could have killed me. So what? Art should have no borders.'”
Furlan also drew upon her personal history when she portrayed Delenn for five seasons on Babylon 5. Her other notable genre roles also included Danielle Rousseau on Lost and Silver Sable on Spider-Man: The Animated Series. However, her roles weren’t limited to sci-fi and fantasy. She also appeared in NCIS, with films roles in With Mom, Twice Born, The Abandoned, and Cirkus Columbia.
Straczynski’s letter did not indicate Furlan’s cause of death. However, it does mention that she had been in declining health for some time. Superhero Hype extends its condolences to Furlan’s family, friends, colleagues, and fans all over the world.
Please feel free to share your memories of Mira Furlan’s roles in the comment section.
— Mira Furlan (@FurlanMira) January 22, 2021
