A native of Jeju Island,[2] Go Doo-shim made her acting debut in 1972 and since then she had a prolific career on television, film and theater.

[citation needed] Best known for playing the quintessential devoted, self-sacrificing mother figure on TV,[3] Go has won the Daesang (the highest acting prize in Korea) a record number of seven times: for her performances in the dramas Fetters of Love (1989), The Dancing Gayageum (1990), My Husband's Woman (1992), Virtue (2000), Ode to the Han River (2004), More Beautiful Than a Flower (2004) and All About My Mom (2015).

[4][5] Go was reported to be the top earner among all actors and entertainers who appeared on the KBS network in 2004, with total earnings of ₩373 million.

[6] She also received acclaim for more atypical roles in the films Jealousy (1983), My Mother, the Mermaid (2004),[7][8] Family Ties (2006),[9] and Good Morning President (2009).

[10][11][12] To celebrate her 40th anniversary in the entertainment industry, Go returned to the stage in a 2012 production of Richard Alfieri's Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks.