Go Du-shim began her prolific acting career in 1972 and has since collected numerous acting recognitions, including eight Daesangs and two Baeksang Best Actress awards. In 1989, she received the Daesang at the KBS Drama Awards and the Best Actress trophy at the 26th Baeksang Arts Awards for her work in Fetters of Love. The following year, she took home the Daesang at the MBC Drama Awards for The Dancing Gayageum and The House With a Deep Yard. In 1992, she starred in the KBS2 series My Husband’s Woman, which gave her the Daesang for TV as well as the Best Actress trophy at the 29th Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2000, she bagged the Daesang at the SBS Drama Awards for Virtue. In 2004, she picked up three Daesangs for her performance in KBS2’s More Beautiful Than a Flower and MBC’s Ode to the Han River. In 2015, she won the Daesang at the KBS Drama Awards for the family series All About My Mom.

Go Du-shim also branched out into acting in theater and radio. In 2012, forty years after her debut in the entertainment industry, she returned to performing on stage with a leading role in Richard Alfieri’s Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks.

Go Du-shim has two children. Her son Kim Jung-hwan is an actor.