Ju Jeung-ryu was a South Korean actress whose fame peaked in the 1950s and 1960s. She starred in about 400 films. Ju was born in Yonghung, Hamkyongnam-do, nowadays in North Korea. While attending Hamnam Girls' High School, Ju became an ardent play fan. When she became eighteen, she ran away from home and joined in the theater company, Gohyeop. Her first role as an actress was a maid in Muyeongtap (무영탑) written by Yu Chi-jin.