Rising star

Nina Milner (20) is one of South Africa's most promising acting talents and is already being compared with Oscar winner Charlize Theron. She did drama at school but has no formal acting training. Nina landed three roles in three South African TV dramas. She plays the role of Leila Blue in the six-part M-Net drama series Ella Blue, which tells the story of how a remote fishing village community on the Cape coast is torn apart by the Group Areas Act when a census is conducted in order to classify people according to their skin colour. Nina also plays the lead in Innocent Times, an M-Net mini-series due to begin at the end of April, and she is currently working on Jacob's Cross. Besides acting, she has featured in many magazine fashion shoots. Her first one was for Huisegenoot in 2003. She has modelled in Milan, Germany and France. She matriculated from Reddam House, a private school, with academic excellence. Nina is the only child of Wilma Coetsee, an artist, and Bernard Milner, who owns New York Bagels in Sea Point. She is the grand-daughter of Wicus and Annetjie Coetsee, former Hermanus mayoral couple. Wicus and his family had a glass making business for 15 years known as AW Glass where Annetjie and Wilma were also involved. Annetjie and Wicus live in the Hemel-en-Aarde Estate in Hermanus. Her paternal grandparents, Dot and Leslie Milner, also live in Hermanus.