Song Yoon-ah began her entertainment career as a participant on the 1995 KBS Super Talent Contest, where she won three awards. She gained fame for playing the antagonist in the 1998 SBS series Mister Q, which earned her an Excellence Award at the SBS Drama Awards as well as the Most Popular Actress for TV honors at the 35th Baeksang Arts Awards. The following year, she took home another Excellence Award at the MBC Drama Awards for her work in The Boss. In 2001, she was recognized with a Top Excellence Award at the MBC Drama Awards for her performance in Hotelier and Sweet Bear. In 2002, she starred in the comedy film Jail Breakers, which scored her three Best Supporting Actress trophies. In 2004, she appeared in the SBS drama Into the Storm, which gave her an Excellence Award at the SBS Drama Awards. In 2008, she landed a main role in the SBS series On Air, in which she bagged a Top Excellence Award at the SBS Drama Awards. In 2015, she was named Best Actress for TV at the 51st Baeksang Arts Awards for her portrayal of a single mother diagnosed with a terminal disease in MBC’s Mama. In 2018, she collected a Top Excellence Award at the SBS Drama Awards for the mystery thriller Secret Mother.


Song Yoon-ah married her Jail Breakers and Lost in Love co-star Sol Kyung-gu on May 28, 2009. They welcomed their son on August 3, 2010. In 2014, the actress sued 57 netizens for spreading online rumors that she had an affair with Sol Kyung-gu and that she caused the actor’s divorce from his first wife in 2006.