Lillian Hurst was born in the Villa Palmera section of San Juan, Puerto Rico, a neighborhood known for its middle-class families. Her father owned a pharmacy, Farmacia Imperial, located in the Barrio Obrero neighborhood. Additionally, she is a cousin of Puerto Rican television producer Tommy Muñiz.
Hurst received her primary and secondary education in the capital city. At a young age, she expressed her desire to become an actress, and her parents enrolled her in the modeling academy of Ana Santisteban.
In 1960, at the age of 17, Hurst was discovered by producer Gaspar Pumarejo while waiting for her turn at the academy. He was looking for fresh talent for a new show and contracted Hurst to star in the television comedy Pompilia y su Familia (Pompilia and her Family) on WAPA-TV.
Later, she hosted La Hora del Niño (The Children's Hour) on Channel 6 and participated in various comedies in the 1960s, including Casos y Cosas de la Casa (Cases and Things of the House) with actor Braulio Castillo and Matrimonio y Algo Mas (Marriage and Something More).
In 1969, Hurst was contracted by Panamericana de Television of Lima, Peru to work in the program El Hit del Momento (The Hit of the Moment) for one year. When she returned to Puerto Rico, she worked in some programs produced by her cousin Tommy Muñiz and participated in various theater productions, including La Casa de las Hojas Azules (The House with the Blue Leaves) and La Verdadera Historia de Pedro Navaja (The True Story of Pedro Navaja).
In 1980, Hurst wrote and produced a stage show presented at the Condado Beach Hotel in San Juan. She then moved to New York, working in Off-Broadway productions before moving to Los Angeles, California in 1989.
Hurst enrolled in Santa Monica College, majoring in psychology, and worked in both Spanish and English language productions. She landed roles in Windows (1991) and La Balada de Tina Jaurez (The Ballad of Tina Juarez) (1992). She was also the founder of an acting school for Hispanic children.
Hurst has participated in twenty movies, including the 2005 film English as a Second Language. She has made over thirty television guest appearances in programs such as JAG, NYPD Blue, The X-Files, ER, Lost, and a recurring role in Dharma and Greg, where she played the role of "Celia" in sixteen episodes.
