Ido Drent | |
---|---|
Born | 27 January 1987 37) | (age
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2008–present |
Spouse | Mandy Hodges (m. 2011–present) |
Ido Drent (born 27 January 1987) is a South African-born actor working and living in Auckland, New Zealand. He is best known to television audiences as Daniel Potts in the long-running soap opera Shortland Street .
Drent was born in Pretoria and raised until the age of 8 in Potchefstroom, South Africa. [1] In January 1996 Drent and his family moved to New Zealand. He remembers watching Shortland Street for the first time and being bewildered by the accents. [2] After finishing school Drent studied business at university and worked in the property development industry. [2] [3] After doing part-time work in television commercials, Drent "caught the acting bug." [2]
Drent became a model, was signed to 11 Modeling Agency and quickly became a regular on the catwalk. [1]
He started to attend a Meisner Acting course [3] and in 2008 auditioned for an upcoming role on the long-running soap opera Shortland Street. The role was a recasting of past character Daniel Potts, the bad-boy illegitimate son of major character Sarah Potts. Drent was called back after his first audition, and, after performing alongside the actress of Sarah, Amanda Billing, he was awarded the role. He made his debut on the show in March 2009 and quickly picked up a heartthrob status. [4]
For his role on Shortland Street, Drent was nominated and awarded with numerous awards, including in 2010 the New Zealand TV Guide Best on the Box award for "Rising Star". [2] He also won runner up for "Hottest Male Actor" in the Throng Shortland Street Fan Awards 2010, losing out to onscreen stepfather Benjamin Mitchell. [5] In 2011 Drent was nominated for a Girlfriend Faves Forever award for "Celeb Male 2011" for his role in Shortland Street [6] and "Favourite TV star" in the What Now awards. [6]
In 2012 Drent quit his role on Shortland Street to pursue career opportunities in Australia. He commented, "For me, broadening myself as an actor,I need to move on, even if it meant losing a bit of security and taking a big risk." [7]
Following his move to Australia, Drent landed a role on the fourth season of television show Offspring , making his debut in May 2013. [8] Drent was praised by his costar Matthew Le Nevez, "He's got such a nice, calming energy... He's such a great actor." [9]
Drent also won the role of INXS drummer Jon Farriss in a miniseries depicting the band, INXS: Never Tear Us Apart . [10] [11]
Drent is heavily involved in exercise and loves coffee. [1] He has a strong Christian faith and made a commitment to stay celibate until marriage. [12] In April 2011 Drent announced he was engaged to makeup artist Mandy Hodges via his Facebook page. [12] After dating for seven months, the two wed in December 2011 [13] in a ceremony attended by family, friends, and co-stars. [14] They have a son and a daughter.[ citation needed ]
Drent has been an ambassador for the 40 Hour Famine in 2010, 2011 and 2012, in which he helped needy children in East Timor. [2] He was involved in a run which involved running 20 km a day for a week to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities. [15] However, Drent was forced to drop out following feeling very ill and fearing he may have meningitis. [15] [16] Drent is also an advocate for anti-smoking New Zealand.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009– 2012 | Shortland Street | Daniel Potts | Core Cast Won - "Rising Star", New Zealand TV Guide Best on the Box awards 2010 Won - "Celeb Male 2011", Girlfriend Faves Forever 2011 Nominated - "Favourite TV star", The Nowies 2011 |
2013– 2016 | Offspring | Dr. Lawrence Pethbridge | Recurring (season 4) Main cast (season 5) Guest (season 6) |
2014 | INXS: Never Tear Us Apart | Jon Farriss | |
2015 | When We Go To War | Charles Smith | |
2015 | Ash vs Evil Dead | Brad | Episodes: "Ashes to Ashes", "Bound in Flesh" |
2019 | Roman Empire | Caligula | Main character during season 3 called the Mad Emperor. Produced by Netflix. |
2019 | The Gulf | D.S. Justin Harding | Main cast all episodes |
2022 | My Life Is Murder | Luke | "Silent Lights" Series 3 Ep 5 [17] |
Shortland Street is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital. The show was first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992 and is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously for over 7,900 episodes and 32 years. It is one of the most watched television programmes in New Zealand.
Jonathon Alexander McKenna is a fictional character in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. He is portrayed by Kieren Hutchison, who played the role in both recurring and regular stints in the 1990s, before returning for a six-month period during 2011.
Guy Warner is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Craig Parker in a guest role in 1992 before returning as core cast from 1993 to 1996. Guy returned for the shows 15th anniversary in May 2007 and again from December 2007 to April 2008.
Dr. Justine McKay1 is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who appeared in numerous stints from 2005 to 2009. She was portrayed by Laurie Foell in 2005 for a guest stint before returning in 2006 as a regular character. In 2007 the role was controversially recast, with Lucy Wigmore taking over. She played the role through to 2008 and again in a guest stint in 2009.
Shane Cortese is a New Zealand actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his role of Mac on Nothing Trivial, Loki on the Almighty Johnsons and Hayden Peters on hit show Outrageous Fortune. He was also a runner-up on Season 1 of NZ Dancing with the Stars in 2005.
Brooke Freeman is a fictional character from the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, played by Beth Allen. Brooke debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 14 July 2008. The role was written with Allen in mind to play her. Brooke arrived as a locum GP but later advanced in her career. She is played as a manipulative female, who uses her sexuality to advance in her career. She is also characterised by her complex backstory which has resulted in her "messed up" persona. As a stylish female, Allen is required to spend longer in the dressing room with make-up artists. Brooke's style has been attributed to Katharine Hepburn, though she wears dark colours to convey her personality.
Dr. Gabrielle Jacobs is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street and has been portrayed by Virginie Le Brun throughout two stints, the first from 2009 to 2010 and the second from 2011 to 2012. She arrived in February 2009 as a potential love interest for long serving playboy Chris Warner.
Daniel Joshua Potts is a fictional character in the soap opera Shortland Street. The role was originated by actor Jarred Blakiston from 2004 to 2005 and again briefly in 2007 before Ido Drent took over in 2009. The character departed in mid-2012.
Rachel McKenna is a fictional character from the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, played by Angela Bloomfield and who made her first appearance in early 1993. Bloomfield left the role in late 1999, before returning in early 2001 and departing in early 2003. She returned in a guest role in mid-2007 and again in a full-time role in late 2009 before departing once again in late 2016.
Sophie Juliette McKay is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Kimberley Crossman from 2006 to 2011 as part of the McKay family unit. She made a guest appearance in 2012.
Wendy Cooper is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street and has been portrayed by Jacqueline Nairn since her debut in mid-2010. The character arrived as the matriarch of the new family unit, the Coopers.
Phoenix Warner is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. He has been portrayed by Geordie Holibar since his debut in the show's first ever 90 minute episode in August 2010. The character was introduced as the previously unknown son of long-standing character Chris Warner and ex-wife Alison Raynor. The character departed after dying of an overdose in the episode airing 23 October 2020. Phoenix later returned that December when Chris imagined him as a ghost.
Isabella Jane "Bella" Durville is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Amelia Reid-Meredith between her arrival in September 2010 and her departure in November 2016. She was the eldest sibling in the Cooper family unit.
Roimata Ngatai is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, who was portrayed by Shavaughn Ruakere from January 2011 to January 2014. Initially introduced as a 3-month love interest for TK Samuels, Ruakere's contract was extended to a regular role.
Zachary Smith is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who has been portrayed by Mike Edward in multiple guest stints since mid 1995. The character returned in a more central role for the shows 20th anniversary in 2012.
Dr. Josh Gallagher is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Chris Tempest between May 2012 and January 2014. The character was mostly known for his change from friendly to villainous when he developed Hero Syndrome.