Mira Furlan
Encyclopedia
Mira Furlan is a Croatian
actress and singer currently residing in the United States
. She is well known for her roles as the Minbari
Ambassador Delenn
on all five seasons of the science fiction
television
series Babylon 5
(aired 1993 - 1998), and Danielle Rousseau
on Lost
.
, which was at that time part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
, now the capital city of the Republic of Croatia. She was born to a Jewish mother, and a father of Slovenia
n and Croatian
heritage.
and frequently appeared in Yugoslav television and films, including Cannes Film Festival
winner When Father Was Away on Business
(1985). In the 1980s, she briefly appeared as singer for Le Cinema, a spin-off from the rock band Film
.
She has also appeared on the stage in New York and Los Angeles
. She has released an album, Songs From Movies That Have Never Been Made. Furlan played Minbari Ambassador Delenn
for all five seasons of Babylon 5
and some of the associated TV movies. From 2004-2008 she could be seen playing the character Danielle Rousseau
in the ABC
television series Lost
.
In 2002, she returned to Croatia after some 11 years to take the lead role in Rade Šerbedžija
's Ulysses Theatre Company's production of Euripides
' Medea
. During the mid-to-late 2000s she also had an irregular column in the now-defunct Croatian magazine, Feral Tribune
.
Goran Gajić
, who has directed her in an episode of Babylon 5 and several plays, including a production of Sophocles
' Antigone
. Her husband is an ethnic Serb.
In late 1991, she and her husband emigrated from the former Yugoslavia
to escape the warfare which resulted in the breakup of former Yugoslavia, with the attendant political turmoil and ethnic tensions.
On December 15, 1999, Furlan gave birth to the couple's first child, Marko Lav Gajić.
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
actress and singer currently residing in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She is well known for her roles as the Minbari
Minbari
The Minbari are a fictional alien race featured in the television show Babylon 5. The Minbari characters of Delenn and Lennier figure prominently throughout the series; Neroon, Draal, and Dukhat are less prominent Minbari characters....
Ambassador Delenn
Delenn
Delenn is a fictional lead character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Mira Furlan.-Overview:Delenn, an alien ambassador and leader from the planet Minbar, is one of the pivotal characters in Babylon 5....
on all five seasons of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
(aired 1993 - 1998), and Danielle Rousseau
Danielle Rousseau
Danielle Rousseau is a fictional character on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific. Croatian actress Mira Furlan plays the scientist who shipwrecks on the island sixteen...
on Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.
Early life
Furlan was born to an intellectual and academic family that included a large number of university professors in ZagrebZagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, which was at that time part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, now the capital city of the Republic of Croatia. She was born to a Jewish mother, and a father of Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n and Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
heritage.
Career
Furlan graduated from the Academy for Dramatic Arts in Zagreb and holds an equivalent to the BA in theatre. She was a member of the Croatian National TheatreCroatian National Theatre
The Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb , commonly referred to as HNK Zagreb, is a theatre located in Zagreb, owned and operated by the Ministry of Culture. The theatre evolved out of the first city theatre built in 1836 housed in the present-day Old City Hall...
and frequently appeared in Yugoslav television and films, including Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
winner When Father Was Away on Business
When Father Was Away on Business
When Father Was Away on Business is a 1985 Yugoslav film by Serbian director Emir Kusturica. The screenplay was written by the Bosnian dramatist Abdulah Sidran...
(1985). In the 1980s, she briefly appeared as singer for Le Cinema, a spin-off from the rock band Film
Film (music group)
Film was a Croatian rock group founded in 1978 in Zagreb. Film was one of the most popular rock groups of the former Yugoslav New Wave in the late 1970s to early 1980s.- New Wave years :...
.
She has also appeared on the stage in New York and Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. She has released an album, Songs From Movies That Have Never Been Made. Furlan played Minbari Ambassador Delenn
Delenn
Delenn is a fictional lead character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Mira Furlan.-Overview:Delenn, an alien ambassador and leader from the planet Minbar, is one of the pivotal characters in Babylon 5....
for all five seasons of Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
and some of the associated TV movies. From 2004-2008 she could be seen playing the character Danielle Rousseau
Danielle Rousseau
Danielle Rousseau is a fictional character on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific. Croatian actress Mira Furlan plays the scientist who shipwrecks on the island sixteen...
in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television series Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.
In 2002, she returned to Croatia after some 11 years to take the lead role in Rade Šerbedžija
Rade Šerbedžija
Rade Šerbedžija , occasionally credited as Rade Sherbedgia in some English-language productions, is a Croatian actor, director and musician of Serb origin. He was one of the most popular Yugoslav actors in the 1970s and 1980s. He is now internationally known mainly for his supporting roles in...
's Ulysses Theatre Company's production of Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
' Medea
Medea (play)
Medea is an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides, based upon the myth of Jason and Medea and first produced in 431 BC. The plot centers on the barbarian protagonist as she finds her position in the Greek world threatened, and the revenge she takes against her husband Jason who has betrayed...
. During the mid-to-late 2000s she also had an irregular column in the now-defunct Croatian magazine, Feral Tribune
Feral Tribune
Feral Tribune was a Croatian political weekly magazine. Based in Split, it first started as a political satire supplement in Nedjeljna Dalmacija before evolving into an independent satirical weekly paper in 1993...
.
Personal life
Furlan's husband is directorFilm director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Goran Gajić
Goran Gajic
Goran Gajić is a Serbian film, television, and theater director. He has directed media in English and Serbian....
, who has directed her in an episode of Babylon 5 and several plays, including a production of Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
' Antigone
Antigone (Sophocles)
Antigone is a tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 442 BC. Chronologically, it is the third of the three Theban plays but was written first...
. Her husband is an ethnic Serb.
In late 1991, she and her husband emigrated from the former Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
to escape the warfare which resulted in the breakup of former Yugoslavia, with the attendant political turmoil and ethnic tensions.
On December 15, 1999, Furlan gave birth to the couple's first child, Marko Lav Gajić.