Rebecca Zhu


Rebecca Zhu is a Chinese-born Hong Kong actress and a beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Hong Kong 2011. As a result of her pageant win, Zhu was offered a starring role in the 2012 TVB television drama Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles, which was also her acting debut.

Early life

Zhu was born in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. Following her mother's wishes, Zhu started dancing lessons as early as the age of 3, taking Latin dance and Chinese dance courses. When she was 10, Zhu moved to Shanghai after earning the opportunity to perform for a ballet dance troupe there. At age 16, Zhu was accepted by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and moved to Hong Kong, where she continued to study ballet. Zhu earned full scholarship to study abroad at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Upon graduation, Zhu became a member of The Hong Kong Ballet Company.

Career

Pageant debut

In 2011, Zhu entered the Miss Hong Kong pageant as contestant #5, a local delegate. Zhu stayed as one of the most popular contestants throughout the competition, and her resemblance to Fala Chen brought her recognition. She eventually won the title, also winning Miss Trendy Vision, Happiness Ambassador, and the Most Popular Award. Zhu then went on to compete in the Miss Chinese International Pageant the following year, and won the Greater China Elegance Award. She failed to get placed in the pageant.

Acting career

In November 2011, Zhu was cast as Kwai Siu-yau, the third female lead in the TVB blockbuster drama Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles, which also became Zhu's acting debut. The role was originally meant for Fala Chen, who turned down the offer last-minute due to health reasons. The drama's producer stated that Zhu's resemblance to Chen was one of the reasons why he decided to replace her with Zhu. Zhu's first performance was not well-received, which many critics reasoned was because of the language barrier, as well as her lack of acting experience prior to taking on the role.
Zhu pursued supporting roles for the next few years. Her performances in 2013's Triumph in the Skies II and Always and Ever earned her nominations for Most Promising Actress and Favourite Supporting Actress at the 2013 TVB Star Awards Malaysia, her first acting nominations.

Filmography

Television dramas

Film

Awards and nominations