Dilraba Dilmurat

Biography

Dilraba Dilmurat (Uyghur: دىلرەبا دىلمۇرات; Chinese: 迪丽热巴·迪力木拉提; born June 3, 1992) is a Chinese actress, singer, and model. She is an ethnic Uyghur from Ürümqi, Xinjiang.

== Early life and education == Dilraba was born on June 3, 1992, in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. In 2001, when she was nine years old, her father brought her to Xinjiang Art Middle School to take the entrance exam. At the time, she thought it was an interesting class. Later, when she got an offer from the school, she realized she would be going to a dance school for the next six years. In 2007, she graduated from the Xinjiang Arts Institute and became a member of the Xinjiang Song and Dance Troupe. In 2009, she studied at Northeast Normal University in Jilin for one year. During this time, she received third place at a local singing contest. In 2010, she enrolled in the performance department of Shanghai Theater Academy, majoring in drama, film and television. In the same year, she auditioned for director Lu Chuan's new project The Last Supper.

== Career ==

=== 2013–2016: Acting debut and rising popularity === In 2013, Dilraba made her acting debut in the television drama Anarhan, playing the lead role. The drama was nominated for Outstanding Television Series at the 30th Flying Apsaras Awards. In 2014, she signed with Jay Walk Studio and starred in the web series V Love, produced by the company. The same year, Dilraba gained recognition for her role as Fuqu in the hit fantasy drama Swords of Legends. In 2015, Dilraba starred in the romantic comedy Diamond Lover, winning acclaim for her role as a sassy pop-star. She won the Audience's Favorite Newcomer award at the 7th China TV Drama Awards for her performance. In 2016, Dilraba was cast in the leading role for the youth sports drama Hot Girl. She won the Outstanding New Actress award at 2016 ENAwards for her performance in the series.

=== 2017–present: Breakthrough === In 2017, Dilraba played the leading role in the romantic comedy Pretty Li Huizhen, a remake of South Korean drama She Was Pretty. The series was popular during its run, accumulating over 7 billion views online, and she won Most Popular Actress award and Audience's Choice for Actress award at the China TV Golden Eagle Award for her performance. She also starred in the fantasy romance series Eternal Love as a fox fairy. The drama gained explosive popularity in China as well as internationally, and led to increased recognition and popularity for Dilraba. For the role, she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Shanghai Television Festival. That same year, she had her first big screen leading role in romantic comedy film Mr. Pride vs Miss Prejudice. Her performance earned her the Best New Actress award at the 2016 China Britain Film Festival. She then starred in the historical romance drama The King's Woman, and fantasy film Namiya, the Chinese adaptation of Japanese novel Miracles of the Namiya General Store. Dilraba won the Newcomer award at the Golden Phoenix Awards for her performance in Namiya. In 2017, Dilraba also joined the fifth season of Keep Running as a cast member, earning increased popularity for her variety stint. Forbes China listed Dilraba on their 30 Under 30 Asia 2017 list which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial effect in their fields. In 2018, Dilraba starred in the romantic comedy film 21 Karat. She then starred in the wuxia romance drama The Flame's Daughter alongside Vic Chou. In the same year, the science fiction romance comedy drama Sweet Dreams alongside Deng Lun was premiered. The series' concurrent TV viewership ratings 'broke 1%', with an average of 1.018% in 52 cities and had reached 6 billion online views before the drama wrapped its run. Due to her rising popularity, Dilraba was crowned the Golden Eagle Goddess at the 12th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival. In 2018, after surpassing 40 million followers on Weibo it was announced that Dilraba has an independent studio under Jay Walk Studio. In 2019, Dilraba appeared on the CCTV New Year's Gala for the first time, performing the song item "China Happy Events". Dilraba also joined the fifth season of Go Fighting! as a regular cast member. In 2019, she was one of the mentors in the competition show Produce Camp 2019.

In January 2020, Dilraba starred in the fantasy romance Eternal Love of Dream, reprising her role as Fengjiu from Eternal Love. The same year, she starred in the workplace romance drama Love Advanced Customization, portraying a fashion designer. In June 2020, Dilraba was ranked by Statista as the second-most-popular celebrity on Douyin, with 55.6 million followers. Dilraba later starred in the historical fantasy film Saga of Light portraying Chang'e. In 2021, she starred in the historical drama The Long Ballad, portraying Li Changge. This series brought her a further rise in popularity. Dilraba later starred in You Are My Glory as Qiao Jingjing alongside Yang Yang. The series was a commercial success and gained 4 billion views throughout its run. In 2022, she was cast in The Blue Whisper alongside Ren Jialun and in the Legend of Anle alongside Gong Jun. In 2023, she starred in the law drama Prosecution Elites alongside Tong Dawei. In 2025, Dilraba first starred as Deng Yan in the crime drama Sword Rose. Later that year, she portrayed Nie Jiu Luo in supernatural drama Love on the Turquoise Land, alongside Cheng Xingxu. In 2026, she took on the role of He Simu in fantasy drama Love Beyond the Grave, starring opposite Chen Feiyu.

== Other works ==

=== Endorsements === Dilraba is considered one of the most in-demand brand ambassadors in China due to numerous endorsement deals ranging from food and beverage, basic commodities, beauty and retail products, to mobile applications and technological products. She also endorses several international brands like L'Oréal and Mikimoto. P&G's Whisper saw a rise in sales after engaging Dilraba as their spokesperson. In 2018, Dilraba ended her contract with Dolce & Gabbana after a racist ad incident in China. In 2021, as a Uyghur from Xinjiang, Dilraba publicly voiced her support for cotton produced in Xinjiang after several international companies announced they will not purchase cotton from the region due to concerns of forced labor of Uyghurs. Her actions were echoed by most other Chinese celebrities cutting ties with those brands. In the same year, Dilraba was announced as Panerai's first ever female global brand spokesperson. Dilraba is often regarded as a red carpet darling and global fashion icon. In 2023, Business of Fashion inducted her into its BoF 500 class of 2023, recognising her growing influence in the luxury fashion world. Following her appearance at the Dior Spring Summer Ready-to-wear show in Paris, French Vogue published an article documenting the sensation she caused amongst fans, international media and onlookers. Since her debut, Dilraba has had more than 60 endorsements. As of June 2026, Dilraba has 22 active brand endorsements, serving as global brand ambassador for 16.