Biography
Who is Go Ara?
Early life and education
Go Ara was born in Jinju, South Korea, on February 11, 1990. Because her father worked as a soldier, she constantly moved around the country during her youth. While attending junior high school, a friend recommended that she audition for the talent agency SM Entertainment.
In 2003, she participated in the SM Entertainment Teen Model Contest and won the competition. For her high school education, she attended Chungshin Girls' High School before later pursuing higher education at Chung-Ang University.
Acting debut and rising popularity
Go secured her first major acting role as Lee Ok-rim in the 2003 KBS teen drama Sharp. Her portrayal of an ambitious and confident middle school student brought her immediate fame in South Korea. She later reprised the same character in the sequel Sharp 2.
In 2006, she appeared in the SBS melodrama Snow Flower alongside Kim Hee-ae, earning acting recognition at the Baeksang Arts Awards. Her first film role was in the large-scale Japanese movie Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea, where she played Khulan after competing against more than 40,000 auditionees. She followed this with another Japanese film appearance in Dance Subaru.
Television and film career
Go continued taking on diverse television roles, starring in the body swap comedy Who Are You? In 2008 and the romantic comedy Heading to the Ground in 2009 alongside Jung Yunho. In 2012, she made her domestic film debut in the sports drama Pacemaker, gaining weight to portray a South Korean pole vaulter. That same year, she demonstrated her singing abilities and English fluency in the multicultural film Papa.
Her career reached a new peak when she starred in the nostalgic campus drama Reply 1994 in 2013. To prepare for the character of Sung Na-jung, she cut her hair short and gained weight, earning critical praise and Baeksang Art Awards and APAN Star Awards nominations. She subsequently starred in the police drama You're All Surrounded, the joseon-era romance film The Magician, and the neo-noir action flick Phantom Detective.
Later projects and agency changes
In 2016, Go starred as the female lead in the youth historical drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth opposite Park Seo-joon. That same year, she concluded a 13-year partnership with SM Entertainment and signed with Artist Company in January 2017. She then took on roles in the fantasy thriller Black, the legal drama Ms. Hammurabi, and the historical action series Haechi.
During the filming of Haechi in 2019, she suffered an anterior talofibular ligament rupture that required hospitalization. She later starred in the music romance drama Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol in 2020. In January 2023, she moved to a new management agency by signing with King Kong by Starship.
Birthday and age
Go Ara was born on February 11, 1990, which makes Go 36 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aquarius sign. Go shares the date with 67 other famous people.
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