Esta TerBlanche
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Esta TerBlanche | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 7 January 1973 Rustenburg, Transvaal, South Africa |
| Died | 19 July 2024 (aged 51) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1992–2013 |
| Spouse(s) | André Kock (1997–2008; divorced) |
Esta TerBlanche (7 January 1973 – 19 July 2024) was a South African actress, best known for her roles on television soap operas in both South Africa and the United States.[1]
TerBlanche was born in Rustenburg, Transvaal (now North West Province). She was of Huguenot descent. She grew up on a game farm, replete with monkeys, cows, horses, sheep, warthogs, and elands.[2]
Television
TerBlanche was crowned Miss Teen South Africa in 1991, and subsequently played Bienkie Naudé Hartman on the South African drama Egoli: Place of Gold from 1992 to 1995. In 1995, TerBlanche decided not to renew her contract with Egoli and, instead, opted to further her acting career in the U.S.[2] Within three weeks of arriving in Los Angeles, she found her first job, acting in a hair products commercial.[2] In 1997, TerBlanche was cast in the role of Gillian Andrassy[3][4][5] on the American daytime drama All My Children. Gillian, a troublemaking princess, was killed off in 2001[6][7] as TerBlanche asked to be written out of the show to move back to South Africa.
TerBlanche made a guest appearance on Egoli: Place of Gold in 2004.[8] She also made additional appearances on South African TV and in movies, but later returned to the United States.[citation needed] In 2010, she was interviewed by the American magazine Soap Opera Digest. She reported then that she had divorced and taken a break from acting.[9] She stated that she had opened a spa, exploring her interest in the medical field and in healing.[9]
In the interview, TerBlanche also noted that she had begun acting again and had recently filmed a pilot in South Africa.[9] She expressed interest in returning to All My Children or acting in another soap, citing her time on All My Children as the best of her life.[9] In 2011, she was briefly profiled in the People magazine tribute to All My Children.[10] In August 2011, it was announced that TerBlanche would reprise the role of Gillian during the final weeks of All My Children's broadcast on American network television.[11] TerBlanche made a guest appearance on the show on 24 August 2011.[12]
Plays she appeared in include: The Glass Menagerie, Pygmalion, Hear Ye, and Ten Times Worse on Friday. She also starred in the film, Three Thieves and a Wedding.[3] TerBlanche also worked as a TV presenter in South Africa for the environmental program 50/50[13] and the children's show, K-T.V. TerBlanche was well known in South Africa and appeared on the covers of many magazines.