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An actress who has been likened to a real-life Snow White and appeared in more than 100 episodes of the popular ABC soap opera All My Children has died at the age of 51.
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Credit: ABC
A South African Actress Plays a Hungarian Princess
Esta TerBlanche was born in South Africa in January 1973. Before taking on the daily roles of a soap opera actress, TerBlanche won the title of Miss Teen South Africa in 1991.
Credit: Miss Teen South Africa
Her acting debut took place in the early 1990s when she was cast in the popular South African soap opera Egoli: Place of Gold. TerBlanche remained in that role from 1992 to 1995 before discovering additional acting prospects and making the decision to move to Los Angeles.
TerBlanche is best known for her portrayal of a Hungarian princess named Gillian Andrassy on the popular ABC soap opera All My Children from 1997 to 2001. As part of the show’s storyline, her character was killed by an assassin in a case of mistaken identity in 2001. According to Soap Opera Digest, the death was written into the show’s story when TerBlanche decided to move back to her home country.
She later returned to the set, however, in 2011, during the final season of the soap opera, embodying Princess Gillian as a ghost.
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Credit: ABC
TerBlanche’s Shocking Death
Though few details have been shared about TerBlanche’s death, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed that the actress died on Thursday, July 19, at her home in Los Angeles. Authorities reportedly said there were no signs of foul play. An investigation into her death is ongoing as of the time of this publication.
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Credit: ABC
TerBlanche’s death was first announced on Facebook by the actress’s publicist, Lisa Rodrigo, who shared a heartfelt post about TerBlanche’s death in which it was clear that Rodrigo had lost not only a client but a friend as well. Her death was later confirmed to USA TODAY by another representative.
Though Rodrigo claimed in her post that TerBlanche died of “natural causes,” she also continued, saying that “an autopsy report is pending.”
A “Kind and Caring Person” Who Was a Lot Like Snow White
TerBlanche’s manager, Annie Spoliansky, also communicated with NBC News via a written statement, sharing the news of the actress’s passing and praising TerBlanche for her trademark kindness.
She also enjoyed feeding and caring for small animals like squirrels and prairie dogs–something that has some fans likening her to a real-life Snow White or other Disney princess.
“As for a personal statement, I’d like to say that Esta was such a kind, loving, giving, and caring person,” Spoliansky wrote. “She cared so deeply for all people and animals. She had squirrels she fed and looked after daily, her two cats, and recent kittens that she cared for as her own children.”
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Spoliansky continued, saying, “Esta was never anything but generous and lovely to me, and I’m grateful to have known her for the time that I did and devastated to learn of her passing.”
TerBlanche’s Interview with “Soap Opera Digest”
Earlier this month, TerBlanche was interviewed by Soap Opera Digest and asked about her time on the show and about the people with whom she worked.
“The people I worked with were all so wonderful,” she said during the interview, which was published earlier this month. “It was such a privilege to be on the show.”
Cameron (Mathison, who played Ryan, the love interest of TerBlanche’s character on ‘All My Children’) was just phenomenal, and I feel so blessed that I was able to work with him. He really made every day just wonderful. It was just magical. I could not have been luckier.
Credit: ABC
TerBlanche went on to discuss her return to the last season of the show, saying:
When I came back, it was really emotional for me and Cameron. When we saw each other, we both started bawling. Back then, we hadn’t seen each other for years, so it was such a touching moment for us.
At the time of her interview, TerBlanche was focused on an animal rescue project.
“At the moment, I am knee-deep into some animal projects,” she said in the interview. “I grew up on a game farm and just love animals. I’m working with a rescue project for some prairie dogs, and my Persian cat just had kittens, so there’s a lot of feeding going on around my house.”
