Tay became a model at the age of sixteen. She was first groomed at IMP International and by David Gan in 1986. During her modeling stint, she became the 1987 Model of the Year. In 1988, she joined the first biennial talent-search competition, Star Search which was organised by Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (now MediaCorp) and emerged as the first Star Search champion. Tay did not enjoy acting in the early part of her career, desiring to become a production assistant instead.[4] But in 1991, she was given a role in Crime and Passion as a simple village girl who was torn between two men. It was through this role that she found herself appreciating the life of an actress. Her first television serial was My Fair Ladies, broadcast in 1988, in which she appeared with other winners from Star Search, Jazreel Low and Aileen Tan. Tay played many characters in several period and contemporary dramas. In 1990, she became the first local star to be featured in Lux commercials. After being the Lux girl, further product endorsements came to her, making her a favorite star in Singapore's entertainment industry. Her breakthrough came in 1991 when she was cast as a materialistic and malicious woman in the television series Pretty Faces. She set a record when over a million viewers tuning in for the episode where her character, Bobo, was raped. The role won her many accolades and critical compliments. It was nominated as one of the most memorable roles in the Star Awards in 2003. In 1993 Tay performed with Li Nanxing in The Unbeatables, a serial that focused on gambling. At her peak, there was widespread agreement in the media industry that putting Zoe Tay's picture on the cover would revive the plummeting sales of any magazine.[3] Tay has maintained a consistent placement among the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes in the annual Star Awards, an award ceremony for TV personalities, since its inception in 1994. She also clinched the Best Actress Award in Star Awards 1996 for her performance in Golden Pillow. Her portrayal of a modern career woman in Home Affairs also earned her a nomination for Best Leading Actress at the Asian Television Awards 2000. In the 1998 Star Awards, she was awarded the Special Achievement Award for her illustrious career and contribution to the local media scene for the past 10 years. She gave an emotional speech, in which she wept when she thanked her father who had just died not long before the ceremony. In the same year, she released her first solo album to commemorate her 10th year in show business. Tay was voted in the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artists for the tenth consecutive year in 2003. Hence, in the 2004 Star Awards, she was awarded the All Time Favourite Artiste, together with Li Nanxing and Chew Chor Meng. This award was awarded to artistes who have been able to get into the Top 10 most popular actress/actors for 10 times. Tay is the first actress to achieve this prestigious award. Tay is also the first local female artist to launch a coffee table book, Zoe's Pictorial, in 1995, which portrayed her in a variety of poses, including sexy, demurely alluring, or glamorous and stylish. In 2007, i-weekly magazine listed the Top 9 drama serials with the highest viewership over 25 years (not to be confused with the annual viewership list). 5 out of the 9 drama serials had Zoe as the lead actress. 1988: My Fair Ladies Fu Guihua (窈窕淑女) 1988: Strange Encounters II (奇缘之怨偶天成) 1989: Patrol (铁警雄风) 1989: A Mother's Love Yi Ning (亲心唤我心) 1989: Finishing Line Ye Bei (出人头地) 1990: Navy Series (壮志豪情) 1990: Friends Next Door (我爱芳邻) 1991: Crime and Passion (执法先锋) 1991: The Last Swordsman Hongxiu (最后一个大侠) 1991: Pretty Faces BoBo (三面夏娃) 1992: Ladies In Action Ni Jie (霹雳红唇) 1992: Terms of Endearment (戏剧人生) 1993: Ride The Waves (卿本佳人) 1993: Angel of Vengeance Yanling (暴雨狂花) 1993: The Unbeatables Long Jia Jia/Luo Qi Fang (双天至尊) 1993: Happy Foes (欢喜冤家) 1994: Thunder Plot Le Shan (惊天大阴谋) 1994: Truly Yours Qi Meihua (聪明糊涂心) 1994: Shadows In the Dark (一号凶宅) 1995: The Teochew Family Cai Mei Na (潮州家族) 1995: The Golden Pillow Zhou Xiaodan (金枕头) 1995: Women From Shun Tak (妈姐情缘) 1996: The Unbeatables II Luo Qi Fang (双天至尊II) 1996: Love in A Foreign City Yu Shu Ting (富贵双城) 1997: My Wife, Your Wife, Their Wives (101老婆之老婆柠檬茶) 1997: Rising Expectations Yu-Mei (长河) 1998: The Return of the Condor Heroes Lu Er-Niang (神雕侠侣) 1998: The Legend of Wisely Bai Su (卫斯理传奇) 1999: Lost Soul "Yu Ying"(另类佳人) 1999: The Millennium Bug Huang Si Jie (千年虫) 2000: My Home Affairs Zhang Xiao Tong (家事) 2000: The Strategem Ye Kai Shuang (世纪攻略) 2001: The Hotel Biyu (大酒店) 2002: Katong Miss Oh Miss Oh (加东Miss Oh) 2002: The Unbeatables III Luo Qi Fang (双天至尊III) 2003: Baby Boom Kim (我家四个宝) 2003: Phua Chu Kang Ting Ting <Guest Appearance> 2004: Man At Forty Jian Jie (跑吧!男人) 2004: My Mighty In-Laws Yao Mei Mei (我的野蛮亲家) 2006: The Perfect Wife Yue Liang (闲妻靓母) 2006: A Million Treasures Bai Xing Xing (百万宝) 2008: La Femme Fang Bao Yu (绝对佳人) 2008: By My Side Lin Xin Ya(不凡的爱) 2009: The Ultimatum Ye Yuchen(双子星) 2011: Devotion (阿娣) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_Tay