Biography
Dilraba Dilmurat is a Chinese actress and singer with over 80 million followers on social media platform Weibo. One of China’s most bankable stars, Dilmurat has held endorsement deals with major fashion, watch, jewellery and beauty brands including Christian Dior, Panerai, L'Oréal, Mikimoto, Valentino Beauty and Clarins. She has appeared frequently on the covers of Chinese fashion magazines such as the local editions of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Cosmopolitan and Grazia. Born in Urumqi, Xinjiang province in the far west of the country, Dilmurat is of Uighur descent. Uighurs are one of China's 55 officially recognised ethnic minorities and her rise is seen by some as a sign of progress in the country’s entertainment, fashion and beauty industries.
Known mononymously as ‘Dilireba’ in China, she grew up in a musical household playing the piano and violin, and from the age of nine studied traditional Uighur dance and ballet. She attended a performing arts high school, the Xinjiang Arts Institute, before moving in 2009 to Jilin to attend Northeastern Normal University. A year later she switched to Shanghai Theater Academy, majoring in drama, film and television. She also modelled part time after being noticed for her looks. Dilmurat made her acting debut in 2013 in the TV drama “Anarhan,” and gained further recognition for her role in a fantasy period drama “Swords of Legends.” Her career accelerated from there with a series of hits including “Diamond Lover,” “Hot Girl,” and the local remake of the South Korean drama, “She Was Pretty,” catapulting her into the Chinese mainstream consciousness and racking up awards for her performances. As a triple-threat, she has recorded theme songs to several of the shows and movies she has also starred in.