Friday, March 20, 2009

Terri VandenBosch Hertz Dead at 46

Terri VandenBosch
Terri VandenBosch Hertz, an actress on As the World Turns in the 1980s as well as a scuba diving instructor, dolphin trainer and emergency medical technician, died at age 46 on March 9.

Her death, at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan, resulted from complications of the chronic kidney disease that had partially disabled the Woodbury resident since her diagnosis five years ago, her husband, Michael Hertz, said. She also leaves a daughter, Skylar, 7, and two stepchildren, Matthew, 20, and Monica, 18.

"She was a rebel who did something outside the box," said Hertz, 57, of the stubborn, opinionated and adventurous woman he first met in 1983 when he became her business agent.

Terri VandenBosch was adopted shortly after her birth on Dec. 9, 1962, in Florida, and grew up, from age 12, in Saratoga Springs. She attended the University at Albany but left before graduation for New York City, where she quickly landed the role of Frannie Hughes (later played by Julianne Moore) on As the World Turns. During her two years on the show, the blond, blue-eyed 5-foot-3 actress played scenes with Meg Ryan and Marisa Tomei, who both went on to film stardom, and Y&R star Christian J. LeBlanc.

She, however, was eventually written out of her part. Frustrated by the struggling actor's life of auditions and no work, she went to Mexico. She stayed for seven years, working as a scuba diving instructor, a dolphin trainer and a documentary film assistant. When she finally returned to her upstate hometown at age 31, she became a licensed emergency medical technician.

"She was planning to save enough money to move to Alaska to learn both ice diving and ice fishing," said Hertz, who said she was able to dive to 300 feet. "My wife was a character."

She and Hertz, who had remained in touch over the years, began dating in 1996 when his marriage ended, and she moved to his Woodbury home. They married on Jan. 25, 1998, which would have been his late parents' 50th wedding anniversary, he said. She became a full-time mother with a gift for colored pencil drawing, and interior decor on a budget.

7 comments:

  1. Terri was lovingly adopted by Don and Sandy VandenBosch and later joined by brother John and sisters Carol and Jill. What a great family we were... I love you and miss you Pickles..Mom

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  2. Boscher;
    I can't believe you are gone! We went through sooo much together, good and bad, but we always had fun! I will never forget "Hose her down", "Supper time" or "Rissa its not a couch it's a curb"...Oh how we laughed! Time passed too quickly. You were a such a wonderful, caring person. You will be missed.
    Love;
    Kat

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  3. I learned of Terri's passing from a relative, and wanted to post a comment here. In the article it speaks of her being an accomplished actress in the 80's. I knew of that when it was going on, and it did not surprise me. You see, before she worked with such stars as Meg Ryan, Terri worked with me, probably first. She was the leading lady in two school plays, at Stillwater Elementary School, in Saratoga County, New York. I know, as I was the leading man. In 4th grade, Terri was Miss Liberty to my Uncle Sam, and and 5th grade, she was Dame van Winkle to my Rip van Winkle. I remember her as a high energy, confident, and ambitious little girl, who made the room light up when she entered it. She moved to nearby Saratoga Springs and finished school there I believe. We ran into one another once during high school at the mall, but that was it. Although I have not known her since 1973 nor seen her in approximately 30 years, I would like to express my condolences to her family and friends.

    Sincerely,

    Bill Carney

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  4. I was very saddened to learn of the death of Terri. We worked together on "As The World Turns" twenty-five years ago. Showing up early six days a week and working twelve to fourteen hours definitely produced hard times and difficult shooting challenges on the set. Terri made sure we kept it light and laughable.

    I remember her great penchant for corny farcical humor. Terri was excited we were going to shoot a scene calling for a food fight between forty people. She was ecstatic and made sure the prop master provided her with a cream pie she could push into some unsuspecting actor's face ala Groucho Marx. We laughed endlessly on that one. Some weeks later we went to Chicago on a promotional tour and our host for three days was having a birthday. Yes, Terri got a hold of a cream pie and we ambushed that fella, too! She was just plain fun. I can't believe she's gone.

    Breck Jamison

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  5. Breck,

    I assume you got the news from my ebay contact. Thanks for that great story. Our 7 year old loved it :-)If you would like to communicate further, please let me know how to contact you. Terri always wondered how you were doing. And she talked endlessly of your love of liverwurst sandwiches, just before taping LOL

    Michael

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  6. As a huge fan of As The World Turns while I was in high school in the early 80's, and being completley absorbed with anything and everything soap opera, I will never forget receiving a phone call from Terri at my home after writing her a "fan" letter. I wasn't home at the time and my Dad called me to tell me "some girl, Terri" called you. I didn't know any Terri and he nonchalantly continued.."I think she said she was from As the World Turns..." She told him she would call back. I raced home and paced nervously back and forth until she did call back. I have no clue what we talked about, but what an absolute thrill that a "famous" soap opera star would take the time out to call ME! I just found out about her death today after reminiscing with an old high school friend about our soap opera craziness in high school, whereupon I googled her name and found out she had passed. I am also adopted and shared some other things in common with her. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family and although I didn't know her personally,she has left me with a wonderful memory I will never forget! Sincerely, Ruth Pruiksma Clifton, NJ

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  7. This is incredibly sad - upon hearing earlier today that CBS cancelled ATWT after so many years, I thought of Terri and googled her hoping possibly to reconnect online after all these years... and was totally stunned at the news of her untimely passing.
    I met Terri in September 1984 when I moved back to NYC after law school, moved into the same building she was then living in on W.55th St. and a mutual friend who also lived in the building introduced us.
    About a year later Terri came home from a weekend w/ her family upstate with a 5-week old grey and white little girl kitty Terri had rescued from the shelter, thinking the kitten would keep her adult male cat company during the day - but her male cat didn't take to the kitten at all - and Terri was so worried he'd hurt the kitten (or worse) while she was out of the house - so the next evening I get a knock on my door and there's Terri, little furball in hand, asking me if I'd like to adopt the kitten - she knew I loved cats and couldn't/wouldn't say no - and little Layla was with me for almost 19 years after that.
    Terri and I lost touch the next year when she moved to Cancun and I moved to LA - and tho' we exchanged a few postcards and phone calls in the year or so after that, sadly we never did get to reconnect in person.
    She was so sweet and kind and (as others have noted) incredibly funny - and honestly way too nice a person to thrive in the cut-throat entertainment biz.
    My deepest sympathies and condolences go out to her entire family upstate and especially her husband and her little girl - hopefully some of Terri's beautiful and irrepressible spirit will live on in Skylar. And I'm sure the dolphins she loved so much are crying too.
    Love you T. - rest in peace.
    Adrian Roscher

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