Ok Ja-yeon (Korean: 옥자연; born December 19, 1988) is a South Korean actress.
Early life
Ok was born and raised in Suncheon[1] by school teacher parents.[2][3]
Ok described herself as not studious in her younger years, but due to the influence of her friend in middle school, she started taking her studies seriously. She then excelled in academics all throughout middle school and high school.[3][4] She was also a member of the theater club in middle school, but had no desire of becoming an actress during that time.[5][6]
Ok initially wanted to become a lawyer and planned to study law for her undergraduate degree, but her grades did not meet the admission requirement of Seoul National University for the said degree.[2] Due to her interest in the arts, she then decided to major in aesthetics and planned to pursue law later.[1][2][4]
In her third year of university, Ok watched the play Snow In March and was moved by the performance of actor Jang Minho. She cited it as the reason why her love for theater and acting grew and her dream of becoming an actress was born.[1][5][7]
Career
Ok decided to change careers and pursued acting at 25 years old (in Korean age).[2] She made her acting debut in the theater play Guest in 2012.[1][5][6]
For almost 10 years, Ok only played minor and supporting roles in various stage plays, films, and TV dramas. In 2021, she landed her first main role in the TV series Mine which became a hit and Ok gained recognition for her villain character.[1][4] For her performance, she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards.[8][9]
Ok received her first acting award at the 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival after being named Best Actress for her work in the independent film The Archeology of Love.[10][11]
^ abAhn, Byung-gil (April 11, 2022). "58회 백상예술대상 후보 공개…영광의 주인공은?" [58th Baeksang Arts Awards nominations revealed... Who is the hero of glory?] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Retrieved April 11, 2022 – via Naver.
^Lim Chae-doo (April 12, 2023). "24회 전주국제영화제, 배우 옥자연 등 심사위원 14인 공개" [The 24th Jeonju International Film Festival, 14 judges, including actress Ok Ja-yeon, was revealed] (in Korean). Yonhap News. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
^Kim, Na-ra (September 29, 2021). "원진아→옥자연 '보이스', 믿고 보는 신스틸러 5인" (in Korean). My Daily. Retrieved December 28, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim Ye-eun (August 9, 2022). "김대명부터 심달기·옥자연까지…'외계+인', 개성파 신스틸러 군단" [From Kim Dae-myung to Shim Dal-gi and Ok Ja-yeon... 'Alien + Human', a unique new stealer corps] (in Korean). X-ports News. Retrieved August 9, 2022 – via Naver.
^Park, Ah-reum (August 26, 2022). "중전 김혜수X대비마마 김해숙 만나니(슈룹)" [Middle Battle Kim Hye-soo X Big Mama Kim Hae-sook Met (Shroop)] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via Naver.
^Ha, Soo-jung (December 19, 2023). "스위트홈과 달라"..'경성크리처' 박서준·한소희, 절제된 멜로 크리처물 [종합] ["It's not like Sweet Home"..' 'Gyeongseong Creature' Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee, Understated Melodrama Creature [Comprehensive]]. OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
^Jang Woo-young (June 16, 2023). "[단독] 이솜x안재홍 'LTNS', 류덕환·옥자연→이학주 '블록버스터급' 라인업" [[Exclusive] Esom x Ahn Jae-hong 'LTNS', Ryu Deok-hwan · Ok Ja-yeon → Lee Hak-joo 'blockbuster level' lineup] (in Korean). OSEN. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
^Hwang Hye-jin (January 24, 2022). "허니제이→임수향 '마녀체력 농구부' 출연 확정, 운동꽝 언니들 도전기(공식)" [Honey J → Im Soo-hyang confirmed to appear in 'Witch Fitness Basketball Club', challenged by athletic sisters (official)] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved January 24, 2022 – via Naver.
^Jo, Ji-young (November 7, 2022). "[공식] 옥자연, 주연작 '사랑의 고고학' 싱가포르영화제 경쟁부문 진출 "영광스럽고 기뻐" [[Official] Ok Ja-yeon, the lead film 'Archaeology of Love' enters the competition section of the Singapore Film Festival "I am honored and delighted]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). Retrieved November 7, 2022 – via Naver.