Esta TerBlanche: South African Actress Who Portrayed Gillian Andrassy Lavery on All My Children Passes Away at 51
TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains references to an individual’s death.
Esta TerBlanche, famous for portraying Gillian Andrassy in All My Children, has passed away at 51. Per her manager, Annie Spoliansky, TerBlanche passed away suddenly in Los Angeles on Thursday. As stated by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, the cause of her death is not revealed and is being looked into.
All My Children star Esta TerBlanche passes away at 51
Annie Spoliansky, her manager, confirmed her death in a statement, writing, “We are deeply saddened by this news. As for a personal statement, I’d like to say that Esta was such a kind, loving, giving, and caring person.” From 1997 to 2001, TerBlanche portrayed Gillian Andrassy Lavery in the renowned ABC soap opera All My Children.
Exploring Esta Terblanche’s life and career
TerBlanche was born on January 7, 1973, in Rustenburg, Transvaal, South Africa. RerBlanche was of Huguenot descent. TerBlanche won the title of Miss Teen South Africa in 1991. Later, TerBlanche starred as Bienkie Naudé Hartman in the South African drama Egoli: Place of Gold from 1992 to 1995.
Esta TerBlanche’s stint on All My Children
Rather than extending her contract with Egoli, TerBlanche chose to pursue her acting career in the United States in 1995. TerBlanche was chosen to play Gillian Andrassy in the American drama All My Children in 1997. Her character was married to Cameron Mathison’s character, Ryan Lavery, who took her off life support after she was mistakenly shot by an assassin.
In 2001, Gillian, a mischievous princess, was eliminated from the show when TerBlanche requested to be removed so that she may return to South Africa. In 2011, as the soap opera on ABC came to an end after four decades, TerBlanche made a brief appearance as Gillian’s ghost.
In 2004, TerBlanche appeared as a guest on Egoli: Place of Gold. She went on to make further TV and film appearances in South Africa but eventually returned to the US.
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