Marie Rachel Salman was born on March 4, 1969, to Jose Fazil Taleon and Cleo Salman, whose father hailed from Bethlehem. She studied at the Karilagan in Magallanes for elementary education and Assumption College for high school, as well as Colegio de Santa Rosa for her secondary education.
Marie Rachel, also known as Dawn Zulueta, initially gained attention as a model for a toothpaste commercial before appearing on various television shows as a singer and dancer. Vic del Rosario and Mina Aragon of Viva Films encouraged her to join the film industry.
Dawn Zulueta's early performances in films, including Pangarap na Ginto (1990),Robin Good (1991),Akin at pangarap mo (1991),and Hanggang may buhay (1992),showcased her ability to combine delicate innocence with strong-willed romantic personas.
She received critical acclaim for her performances in Apoy sa puso (1992) and the remake of the ghost story Patayin sa sindak si Barbara (1995),and carried a movie, top-billed, in the sensational biographical rape-story Maggie de la Riva Story (1994),which was personally chosen by Ms. de la Riva herself.
Dawn Zulueta was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Gawad Urian Awards for her role in Kasalanan bang sambahinka? (1990),and won Best Supporting Actress honors from the Film Academy of the Philippines and the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts & Sciences for Una kang naging akin (1991).
She also won Best Actress honors from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts & Sciences for Hihintayin kita sa langit (1991),and was nominated as Best Actress for Apoy sa puso (1992) at the URIAN Awards.
In 1993, Dawn Zulueta represented the Philippines' movie entry Hihintayin kita sa langit at the 4th ASEAN Film Festival in Bangkok, Thailand. She took a hiatus from films after her 1997 movie To Saudi with Love and made a comeback in the family ensemble-drama Filipinas (2003).
Between her film career, Dawn Zulueta got married to Davao businessman Anton Lagdameo on December 27, 1997, and has a child with him. On television, she plays the role of the Queen of Fairyland, "Inang Reyna/Mine-a," in the 2005 soap Encantadia.
