Ariel Lin

Early life

Lin was born in Yilan, Taiwan to a middle-income family. She has a younger brother. Her parents divorced when she was very young, and she was raised by their mother. Lin lived in poverty for many years. In 2014, Lin helped reconcile her estranged parents.

Lin holds a BA in Korean and Literature from National Chengchi University. She obtained her Master of Arts (MA) in Acting for Screen from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London in 2014.

2004: Beginnings

Lin was first discovered in a Taiwanese beauty contest. She made her debut in the television drama True Love 18 (2004). Lin also starred in her first film Love Me, If You Can (2004), which earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 40th Golden Horse Awards. She gained more popularity after starring in the idol drama series My Secret Garden II and Love Contract opposite Mike He. She also sang the theme song for Love Contract, titled "Alone in the northern hemisphere", which topped the KTV and ring tone charts for 12 weeks.

2005–2007: Breakthrough

Lin rose to mainstream popularity for her role as Yuan Xiangqin in the popular Taiwanese idol drama It Started with a Kiss (2005). The series topped ratings in Taiwan, and was a hit across Asia.

Lin then starred in her first Chinese drama, The Little Fairy (2006) where she played the Seventh Fairy Maiden. The series was extremely popular and had high ratings, marking her successful foray into the Chinese market. The same year, she starred in Tokyo Juliet alongside Wu Chun.

Lin reunited with Joe Cheng in They Kiss Again (2007), the sequel of It Started with a Kiss. The drama had an average rating of 3.43, becoming one of the highest rated idol dramas. Lin's performance in the drama won her the Best Actress award at the 43rd Golden Bell Awards, making her the first actress in history to win the award with an idol drama. The same year, she released the single "Adventure of Lunia" as the theme song for the video game Lunia: Record of Lunia War.

2008–2013: Continued success and Singing career

Lin starred in the 2008 adaptation of Louis Cha's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. She plays Huang Rong, opposite her The Little Fairy co-star Hu Ge who plays Guo Jing., She also starred in the Taiwanese drama Love or Bread, her third collaboration with Joe Cheng.

In 2009, Lin signed a three-year and three-album contract with Avex Taiwan. She released her first album Blissful Encounter, which sold 20,000 copies within 2 days. The same year, she starred in the theater play, The War and Peace between Men and Women.

Lin then starred in romance drama In Time with You (2011), co-starring Bolin Chen. It was the highest rated Taiwanese idol drama of the year and was extremely popular across Asia. Lin won her Golden Bell Award for Best Actress trophy for her performance in the series. She then starred alongside Feng Shaofeng in the historical drama Prince of Lan Ling (2013).

2014–present: Films

Following her television career, Lin focused on films. In 2014, she starred in the crime caper Sweet Alibis alongside Alec Su. It was chosen as the Most Popular Taiwanese Film at the 6th Straits Film and Television Awards. Lin then starred in Go Lala Go 2 (2015), the sequel to the 2010 hit film Go Lala Go!. However unlike its predecessor, it was a critical and commercial flop.

Lin turned to the thriller genre in The Mysterious Family (2017), playing a rape victim who becomes psychologically scarred after the incident. The same year, she was cast in the television drama Old Boy alongside Liu Ye, marking her small-screen comeback after 4 years.

Personal life

In June 2008, Lin was diagnosed with a 2 cm cyst on her pituitary gland, following which she had an operation in February 2009.

On December 24, 2014, Lin married businessman Charles Lin. The couple were introduced by mutual friends. Subsequently, the two started dating until their marriage.