Oh Na-ra

Oh Na-ra (Korean: 오나라; born October 26, 1974) is a South Korean actress. She began her career by joining the Seoul Performing Arts Company in 1996 and made her debut in the musical Simcheong the following year. She went on to star in various productions such as Bari, Annie Quang, All That Jazz, Broadway 42nd Streets, Empress Myeongseong, Love in the Rain, and Mamma Mia. Since 2004, she started play the main lead in the creative musicals I Love You. Followed by Finding Kim Jong-wook, Singles, and Jomjom.

Throughout her career, as musical actress, has received several accolades, including the Best New Actress Award at the 2006 Daegu International Musical Festival, the Best Actress Award at the 12th Korea Musical Awards in 2006, the Female Popularity Award at the 1st The Musical Awards in 2007, and the Popular Star Award at the 13th Korea Musical Awards in 2007.

In addition to her work in musicals, Oh made her television debut with a minor role in SBS TV's My Sweet Seoul[ko]. She has since appeared in various dramas, including Pretty Mom, Pretty Woman, Queen of Reversals, Miss Ahjumma, Yong-pal, Hyde Jekyll, Me, Flowers of the Prison, Man to Man, The Lady in Dignity. Her supporting roles performances in dramas such as My Mister, Sky Castle, Racket Boys, and Alchemy of Souls earned her wider recognition.

Early life and education

Oh Na-ra born on October 26, 1974, in Seoul as oldest of two sibling. Oh graduated from Kaywon Arts High School[ko]. Oh chose ballet as her major because she wanted to perform on stage. She graduated from the Department of Dance at Kyung Hee University. Afterwards, she pursued a master's degree in musical theater at Dankook University's Graduate School of Culture and Arts.

Career

Oh grew interested in musicals after watching one on TV during college and wondered if they were real. She approached Nam Gyeong-eup, a musical actor, and expressed her desire to appear in musicals. Oh helped out at the performance hall of the musical "Love in the Rain," doing tasks like cleaning and selling tickets. She also tried to make the cast happy.[unreliable source?]

She joined the Seoul Performing Arts Company in 1996 and debuted with her musical "Simcheong" the following year. Afterwards, she appeared in "Bari," "Annie Quang," "All That Jazz," "Broadway 42nd Street," "Empress Myeongseong," "Love in the Rain" and "Mamma Mia."

In 2001, Oh joined the Japanese theater company "Four Seasons" despite being a newcomer in the musical world. Oh was first the Korean to be selected as a cast member. She auditioned and landed a role in the production "Contact." Although she couldn't speak Japanese, it was a dance-only production, so there were no major issues. However, she couldn't go on stage due to visa extension problems caused by the office staff's intentional actions. After eight months, Oh returned to Japan to appear in "Mamma Mia." Despite initially being cast as the main character, her Japanese skills weren't perfect, so she returned after two years as an ensemble member. It was a valuable experience, and she worked hard to prove herself and not let down Korean actors.[unreliable source?]

Oh returned to Korea in 2004, where she joined the premiere of the creative musical "I Love You," "Singles" and "Finding Kim Jong-wook." Oh appeared in "I Love You" more than 300 times and in Jang Yu-jeong's "Finding Kim Jong-wook" more than 100 times; she never took a break from performing.

Oh received many awards in 2006. She first won Best New Actress for "I Love You" at the Daegu International Musical Festival. Also, on the 10th anniversary of her debut, she won Best Actress for "Finding Kim Jong-wook" at the 2006 Korean Musical Awards.

In 2008, Oh made her television debut in a minor role in the SBS TV drama My Sweet Seoul[ko]. In 2009, Oh played the main character Maeng Shin-bi in the musical "Jeomjeom." It was created by Crocodile Company and performed at Chungmu Art Hall.

She has since appeared in dramas including Pretty Mom, Pretty Woman, Queen of Reversals, Miss Ahjumma, Yong-pal, Hyde Jekyll, Me, Flowers of the Prison, Man to Man and The Lady in Dignity. Explaining her transition to screen acting, Oh called it a natural progression driven by her long-standing desire to act. She said, "I entered screen acting after turning 30. Vocal cords are perishable, and female actors in musicals showcase their best abilities quickly. As I'm not a musical actress who competes based on singing skills, I began to feel my limitations. While I truly enjoy acting, I pondered how to sustain it over the long run. Screen acting naturally became an avenue for me."

Oh is also a former adjunct professor at the Department of Musical Arts of Baekseok University of Arts.

Oh gained popularity and recognition for her distinctive performances in hit dramas such as Woman of 9.9 Billion, which aired in 2017, tvN's My Mister (2018) and JTBC's Sky Castle (2018–19) following nearly ten years of acting on screen. Even after the conclusion of these dramas, public interest in Oh continued to grow. Oh Na-ra's supporting roles in the internationally aired Netflix dramas Racket Boys and Alchemy of Souls garnered her broader recognition.

Oh appeared in Perhaps Love, a comedy-drama directed by Jo Eun-ji for Next Entertainment. The film revolves around a best-selling writer named Hyeon (Ryu Seung-ryong) in a slump for seven years. He works with his best friend Soon-mo (Kim Hee-won), the head of Sunmo Publishing Co. Hyeon meets aspiring author Yoo-jin (Mu Jin-sung), who changes his values. Oh played Mi-ae, Hyeon's ex-wife. It was released theatrically on November 17, 2021. In the box office as of December 16, 2021[update], it ranked 10th among domestic films released in 2021 in South Korea, with a gross of US$4.36 million from 514,260 tickets sold.

Personal life

Oh Na-ra's family circumstances, which included her younger brother's mental disability and her father's business failure, had a significant impact on shaping her into a dedicated and hardworking actress.

Oh has been in a long-term relationship with her partner, Kim Do-hoon, since her 20s. They entered a relationship in 2000 through the musical "Empress Myeongseong." Kim played a Japanese ronin and Oh a court lady. Kim, a former actor, teaches acting at a model academy and manages the wine bar West End in Seoul's Cheongdam-dong neighborhood.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Television shows

Web show

Stage

Concert

Musical

Awards and nominations

Notes

External links

• at IMDb
• at HanCinema