Background and career
Ruby Lin Xin-ru (Chinese: 林心如; pinyin: Lín Xīnrú; born January 27, 1976) is a Taiwanese actress, television and film producer, and singer. Lin began her career as a commercial model in 1993 and gained pan-Asian prominence for her role as Xia Ziwei in the megahit TV series My Fair Princess (1998-1999). She followed the success with TV series such as The Duke of Mount Deer (2000), Romance in the Rain (2001), Boy & Girl (2003), Affair of Half a Lifetime (2004), Beauty's Rival in Palace (2010), The Glamorous Imperial Concubine (2011) and The Way We Were (2014). While focusing mostly on TV, she also starred in films such as The House That Never Dies (2014), The Devotion of Suspect X (2017) and Miss Andy (2020). As a singer, she released six albums, beginning with Heartbeat (1999). Since Lin started her own studio in 2009, she has been producing TV dramas and TV films starring herself, both in mainland China and Taiwan. Her production debut The Glamorous Imperial Concubine (2011) won her Best Producer at the 2012 TV Drama Awards Made in China, and her first Taiwanese drama production The Way We Were (2014) won three out of seven nominations, including Best Television Series at the 50th Golden Bell Awards. According to Apple Daily, Lin was the third highest-earning Taiwanese drama actress in 2011, and the top-earner in 2012 and 2013. Lin ranked 30th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, 36th in 2014, 82nd in 2015, and 68th in 2017.
Lin was born and raised in Wugu, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Her father was a businessman, and her mother a housewife. Her English name, Ruby, is from her mother's love of the jewel. As the eldest of four children in family, Lin has two younger brothers—one a year younger and the other six years younger—and a half-sister, ten years younger, from her father’s second marriage after divorcing from Lin's mother when Lin was 7. After her parents' divorce, Lin lived with her mother, who took her to visit relatives in Japan every year. She graduated from Ri Xin Primary School and Zhong Dian High School. Lin originally planned on going to the United Kingdom to study after high school graduation. However, she was discovered by a talent agent at the age of seventeen, during her second year in high school, and started working as a part-time commercial model. Her first TV commercial was for a tea brand in 1994. Lin’s parents were initially opposed to her involvement in the entertainment industry. After appearing in several commercials, her parents eventually agreed to let her sign with an entertainment-management company. She officially joined Jessie and Jones Entertainment Ltd on her 20th birthday, shortly after graduating from high school.
When Lin received her first experience in front of the camera in 1995, for a minor role, she started to develop a passion for acting. After filming her first TV commercial, Lin caught the attention of TV and film directors, and many companies began seeking her for roles. She received her first role in the film School Days, with Jimmy Lin and Takeshi Kaneshiro. From 1995 to 1997 after MD completed, Lin had roles in several Taiwanese TV series and began to attract attention and buzz from the media. In 1996, Lin went to China for the first time to film; she considered this a period of valuable experience and a time that she began to learn about acting.
"I was in my second year of high school when I first got involved in film & TV industry. I thought there would be other opportunities for me to study abroad, but one does not bump into the opportunity to be in a film every day. So, I just went and had a try. I told myself that if my filming career didn't work out, then I could still go back to school. But things are not always as they may have appeared to be."
After playing minor roles in various series and films, Lin was selected by Taiwanese writer Chiung Yao to audition for a main role in the comedic period drama My Fair Princess, a joint production by mainland China and Taiwan which was adapted from Chiung Yao's own novel. Originally picked for the role of Princess Saiya, Lin was ultimately chosen by the company to play Xia Ziwei instead, as the actress scheduled to play the main role was unavailable.
"After it was decided that I played the role of Ziwei, I got the script only three days before I had to leave for filming. And that was also the first time I was leaving my native place for such a long time for filming and I had to overcome the challenges of being in an unfamiliar environment. (Taiwan Cover story Interview in 2001)" The drama quickly became a phenomenal sensation, appealing to large audiences in mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. Lin rose to prominence and became a household name overnight. After My Fair Princess, Lin starred in a number of successful television series. In 2000 she starred in Hong Kong TVB's production of The Duke of Mount Deer with Dicky Cheung, Shu Qi and other well-known artists. In this series, Lin played Princess Jian Ning – a sassy, funny girl. This role demonstrated her acting range, since it differed from the nice, sweet image she had developed from her role in My Fair Princess. The following year, she starred in Romance in the Rain, a costume drama based in the 1930s and 1940s, also written by Chiung Yao. The series was a commercial success and recorded the highest ratings of the year. For two consecutive years (2000 and 2001), Lin was included in the Top Ten Most Famous Asian Superstars. The same year, she was selected in fourth place in "Malaysia 2001 Heavenly Kings & Queens". As Lin felt she had achieved all she could in television, she started venturing into films. In 2000, she appeared in three Hong Kong films - Winner Takes All, Comic King and the action movie China Strike Force with Aaron Kwok and Taiwanese actor-singer Leehom Wang. Although Lin had only a supporting role, she considered it a learning experience. With these films, she made inroads into the Hong Kong market.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
