Rebecca Ann Herbst was born on May 12, 1977, in Encino, California, to parents Wayne and Debbie Herbst, and she has an older sister named Jennifer. As a child, she was a competitive figure skater but decided to focus on acting at the age of sixteen.

She began her career early, appearing in over 60 national commercials by the time she was six years old. She has guest-starred in television series such as Highway to Heaven, L.A. Law, Beverly Hills, 90210, Step By Step, Boy Meets World, Sister, Sister, Days of Our Lives, and Brotherly Love.

Rebecca Herbst is best known for her role as Head Nurse Elizabeth Webber on the ABC Daytime drama General Hospital, a role she originated on August 1, 1997. She also played Suzee, an alien, on the Nickelodeon show Space Cases from 1996 to 1997.

Her performance on General Hospital earned her the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Younger Lead Actress in 1999 and a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Younger Actress. She was also named No. 6 on Soap Opera Update's list of Woman of 2000.

In her personal life, Rebecca Herbst married former General Hospital co-star Michael Saucedo on June 1, 2001. They have three children: Ethan, Emerson, and Ella. She is also involved in designing clothes and has designed most of her Daytime Emmy dresses as well as dresses for co-stars Natalia Livingston and Kimberly McCullough.

She became a spokeswoman for Purpose Skincare in 2007 and participates in the Smile Train charity, which provides free cleft lip and palate surgeries for children in developing countries.

Her career has been marked by numerous achievements and recognitions, including nominations for the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2007 and 2012.