Esta TerBlanche was a South African actress best known for playing Gillian Andrassy on “All My Children.”
- Died: July 19, 2024 (Who else died on July 19?)
- Details of death: Died in Los Angeles at the age of 51.
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Esta TerBlanche’s legacy
After growing up on a game farm in South Africa, TerBlanche first came to prominence as a teen, hosting the children’s show “K-T.V.” In 1991, she was crowned Miss Teen South Africa. She had her first taste of soap opera stardom in 1992, playing Bienke Naudé Hartman in the South African drama, “Egoli: Place of Gold.” After four years in a main role on the show, she decided to try her luck as an actress in the U.S.
TerBlanche joined the cast of “All My Children” in 1997, playing problematic Hungarian princess Gillian Andrassy. Her enemies-to-lovers relationship with Ryan Lavery, played by Cameron Mathison, provided fan-favorite storylines. TerBlanche’s own occasional difficulties with the English language – she grew up speaking Afrikaans – were written into her character’s dialogue as funny flubs.
In 2001, TerBlanche asked to be written out of “All My Children” so she could return to South Africa. There, she opened a spa. She did return to “All My Children” a decade later, before the storied daytime drama ended, playing Gillian’s ghost on a single episode.
TerBlanche on Gillian
“I think even though she was this sassy girl and she had her way with men, she was also kind of insecure, especially when it came to Ryan, because she loved him so much. She wasn’t really sure [of herself with him] because she really loved this guy. She had this cute side to her when it came to Ryan; there was this ‘in control’ part and this totally other part that was nice about her that I liked to play.” — from a 2021 interview for Soap Central
Tributes to Esta TerBlanche
Full obituary: The New York Times
