Mira is a very beautiful woman who, although diminutive of stature and slight of form, carries tremendous presence. The type of woman who when she enters a room will cause heads to turn even if no one present has any idea who she is. She possesses a smile that can light up the darkest room or melt the coldest heart. I can't help but think that "Mac's" line "Hey, did you see that smile? It was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud." from the Babylon 5 episode "A View From the Gallery" and "Bo's" reply "I'd claw my way out of hell and straight through ten miles of solid rock to see that smile again.", is not so much them describing "Delenn's" smile, as jms describing Mira's. Her long, heavy, luxurious, hair is a warm chestnut shade of brown. Although I have had the pleasure of meeting her many times, I honestly cannot describe to you what color her eyes are. I can tell you that they are bright, and warm and that they appear to me to shift in hue from a pale bright blue through shades of green and into the grey-green realm. Her intelligence shines through them and she makes wonderful use of those orbs in every role I've ever seen her play. If the eyes are truly the windows of the soul, then Mira's soul is truly beautiful.

She is also to my way of thinking a lady of tremendous personal courage and integrity. Every time I read her "Letter to My co-Citizens" I am struck by how brave she must have been, given the political climate in what was then Yugoslavia, to make the statement that she did in the BITEF program, that art should not serve any political or nationalist ideas. I feel that Mira must have known, as she is a very intelligent lady, that by standing up for that ethical principal in that time and that place, that she was laying her life on the line. The marvelously eloquent prose of her missive will haunt me for the rest of my life. Very few people possess the courage of their convictions to be able to make such a stand, Mira is one of those rare treasures, and I greatly admire her for it.

Somehow she managed to survive that hell and emerge on the other side with her warmth and charm intact, and best of all they did not manage to rob her of her ability to laugh, which she does frequently and unreservedly. She is mesmerizing in person, with the unique ability to make every fan in an autograph line feel like they are someone special. Upon encountering an interesting comment or question, she will put down her pen and talk to you. As much as I enjoy being the person in that spot for an all too brief moment, I also enjoy standing back and watching her with her other fans. She appears to have such joy and genuine enjoyment with the interaction.

The Mira I've encountered is a gentle soul, sensitive but with an inner strength that has seen her through events that would destroy a lesser spirit. She is cultured, educated and well spoken - in four languages! I cannot comment on the other three (Serbo-Croatian, German and French) but her English is for all intents and purposes flawless. During the many times I've heard her speak, when she is searching for a word it is for one with a subtle nuance rather than one with a broader general meaning, something I know I do myself from time to time. I suspect that her vocabulary is larger than most people who speak English as their first language, and I've heard her use misogynistic and Machiavellianism in the same paragraph without missing a beat. Not to mention describing me as a leitmotif at a convention in the spring of 1999, which I felt was a great compliment and quite apt. She is also by all accounts a pretty shrewd business woman. Like any actress she is possessed of ego, and although I have seen articles that describe her as a prima donna, I have never myself encountered any moment when that ego was overblown or excessive. Besides which, I also think that when you have a talent that is as great as I feel Mira's is, you are entitled to a little ego here and there.

Needless to say I think that Mira is possessed of an awesome talent. I'm that hooked on her acting that I've been actively seeking out the movies she made in the former Yugoslavia and watching them. Most without the benefit of subtitles. If you have only seen her as "Delenn", then you have not seen the full range of her abilities even though that role is very multi-dimensional. Her stage presence is nothing short of magic, and if you ever have the opportunity to see her tread the boards, jump at it. Personally, I can't wait to see what she does next.