Ido Drent
South African born Ido Drent was only eight years old when he
moved to New Zealand, but he can still vividly remember the first
time he watched Shortland Street because of the unusual accents the
actors had!
Now, the 22 year-old can hardly believe that he is part of the
Shortland Street cast, playing rebellious teen Daniel Potts.
Born in Pretoria, Ido did a little bit of speech and drama at
school, but it wasn't until 2007 that he decided he'd like to
pursue acting seriously.
Ido has featured in six television commercials and it was while he
was doing these he 'caught the acting bug'.
Before Ido started at Shortland Street he studied business at
university and worked in the property development industry.
He also worked for several years as a model in the fashion
industry.
Ido auditioned for a part on Shortland Street and had almost
forgotten about it, when he got a call back five months later to
come on board as character Daniel Potts.
He describes Shortland Street as his first big break, and is stoked
that his hard work has paid off so quickly.
2010 was a big year for Ido, nominated in Cleo Magazine's Bachelor
of the Year completion, and later that year winning The TV Guide's
'Rising Star' award.
He also spent two months in New York, attending the Neighborhood
Playhouse School of Theatre.
A dedicated ambassador of World Vision, Ido accompanied the charity to East Timor in early 2011, and will lead the 'Team Blue' in 2011's 40 Hour Famine.
In his spare time Ido enjoys playing sport (such as tennis, rugby
and cricket), reading, and hanging out with friends.
He also describes himself as a serial coffee drinker, who loves
going out for coffee with his mates.
