Oh Yeon seo

Early life

Oh Yeon-seo was born in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province and grew up in Changnyeong County. In the second year of middle school, Oh followed a group of friends to an audition for S.M. Entertainment, held in Daegu, but was rejected. However, another company contacted her saying that she had qualified and she moved to Seoul, debuting in just four months at the age of 15.

Oh was accepted into Anyang Arts High School after her band's disbandment and went on to become an actress. It was then where she changed her name from Haet-nim to Yeon-seo after consulting a shaman with her mother.

Oh then entered Dongguk University, joining the theater and film department.

Beginnings

Oh Yeon-seo made her entertainment debut in 2002 when she was only 15 years old under her real name Oh Haet-nim, with the band LUV, alongside Jo Eun-byul and Jeon Hye-bin. They released their first album "Story" that year, which included the singles "Orange Girl" and "I Still Believe in You". However, the band was short-lived and disbanded barely after six months due to their low popularity. Oh then shifted to acting and made her debut appearance in the 2003 drama Sharp, but remained unknown for a long period of time.

2012–2013: Rising popularity

Though she had a major part in the 2009 film A Blood Pledge, it wasn't until she was cast in the family drama My Husband Got a Family (2012) that she gained minor attention. She then joined the popular variety program We Got Married alongside MBLAQ's Lee Joon. Towards the end of 2012, Oh was cast in daily drama Here Comes Mr. Oh where she had her first lead role.

In 2013, Oh played a thoracic resident surgeon in medical drama Medical Top Team. She was appointed an ambassador for the first annual Animal Film Festival in Suncheon along with Kim Min-joon and Gal So-won to help raise awareness for animal rights and welfare in August. Oh was also appointed a Red Cross Ambassador together with actor Ryu Soo-young.

2014–present: Breakthrough

Oh played the lead role of Jang Bo-ri, a compassionate and selfless person, in the highly acclaimed series Jang Bo-ri is Here! (2014). The drama's ratings peaked at 40.4%, and led to a surge in popularity for Oh. She had a hard time playing the character as she grew up in Gyeongsang-do but her character had to speak the Jeolla-do dialect, which she had never used in her entire life.

In 2015, Oh played Shin Yool, the last princess of Balhae, in the historical drama Shine or Go Crazy, co-starring Jang Hyuk. The series was a modest hit, and topped ratings in its timeslot throughout its run.

Oh then starred alongside Rain in the SBS drama Please Come Back, Mister, which aired from 24 February to 14 April 2016. She played Han Hong-nan, a male character reincarnated in a female's body. Oh was praised for her chemistry with co-star Lee Ha-nui, whom she has acted with in her previous project Shine or Go Crazy. She also impressed viewers through her comedic portrayal of her masculine role. The same year, she starred in Take Off 2, the sequel to the 2009 movie Take Off where she plays a member of the first South Korean woman's national ice hockey team.

In 2017, Oh starred in the historical drama remake of the 2001 box office hit My Sassy Girl alongside Joo Won. She was also cast in the film adaptation of the Cheese in the Trap alongside Park Hae-jin, who also played the role of Yoo Jung in the drama. On August 2017, Oh signed with new management agency Celltrion Entertainment.