Zulueta was spotted in a
Close-Up television commercial in 1986 opposite
Tonton Gutierrez. She then started her film career in
Nakagapos na Puso (1986) alongside
Sharon Cuneta and
Lorna Tolentino. She also had roles in television series like
Okay Ka, Fairy Ko! (1995–1997) as the lead character's wife, drama series
Davao (1990), and became a regular female co-host on the musical variety show
GMA Supershow (1989). She branched out hosting other musical-variety shows like
The Dawn and Jimmy Show (1989) and
RSVP (1990). During the early years of her career, she was cast in comedy films like
Bondying (1988) starring
Jimmy Santos, and
Alyas Batman en Robin (1991) with
Joey de Leon and
Keempee de Leon. Zulueta's played the lead opposite
Richard Gomez in the romantic drama
Hihintayin Kita sa Langit (1991) playing ill-fated lovers. Zulueta holds the distinction of winning both the
FAMAS Awards for Best Lead Actress (
Hihintayin Kita sa Langit) and Best Supporting Actress (
Una Kang Naging Akin) in 1992, making her the only Filipino actor to ever to win two different major accolades in acting categories in a single year. She also won a
Luna Award as Supporting Actress of the Year for the film
Una Kang Naging Akin. In 1994, Zulueta received the
Box Office Entertainment Award for Box Office Queen for the film
The Maggie Dela Riva Story...God Why Me? In 1993, Zulueta received two Best Actress awards from the
Metro Manila Film Festival and FAMAS. In 1994, the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) Star Awards for Movies for Buhay ng Buhay Ko. Further, she has received multiple nominations (for both lead and supporting roles) from the prestigious Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (MPP) Gawad Urian. In 1996, Zulueta starred with
Sheryl Cruz and
Charlene Gonzales in the hit drama-vengeance film
Ikaw Naman Ang Iiyak for Viva Films in a lead role as Elaine, which became a career booster as a lead actress. In the same year, Zulueta was cited in a Manila Times article as the 10th Best Filipino Actress from 1990 to 1996. In addition, a 1999 Manila Standard article named her as one of the Top 10 Actresses of the 1990s. In 2010, Zulueta took the lead role in a stage musical,
A Little Night Music. In 2011, she made a comeback television show the remake of
Mula sa Puso, which she's plays Magda, who originally played by
Jaclyn Jose. In 2012,
ABS-CBN launched
Walang Hanggan which starred Zulueta, Gomez,
Coco Martin, and
Julia Montes. The show was noted to be a reboot of the Gomez-Zulueta film
Hihintayin Kita Sa Langit. She also portrayed the lead character's older version in the 2014 film, ''
She's Dating the Gangster'' where she acted opposite Gomez, along with lead stars
Kathryn Bernardo and
Daniel Padilla. She then played another lead role in the drama
The Love Affair in 2015 under the direction of Nuel C. Naval and a screenplay by Vanessa R. Valdez. Opposite Gomez, Zulueta played Marian Fontanilla in the 2015–2016 soap opera, ''
You're My Home''. The show became her and Gomez's last collaboration up to date. In 2016, Zulueta worked with
Piolo Pascual and
Coleen García in
Love Me Tomorrow as directed by Gino M. Santos. Gomez also made a special appearance in the film. In the same year, Zulueta played as first lady Marissa Hidalgo in
Ang Probinsyano. Her appearance on the show became a reunion project for her, and colleagues Martin,
Edu Manzano, and
Alice Dixson. She played as Andrea Balatbat, a character opposite
Vic Sotto's in the 2017
OctoArts movie,
Meant to Beh. Zulueta played the character of May Dela Cruz in the 2019 drama
Family History. ==Personal life==