Zac Smith (Shortland Street)
| Zac Smith | |||||||
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| Shortland Street character | |||||||
| Portrayed by | Mike Edward | ||||||
| Duration | 1995–96, 2002, 2012–13 | ||||||
| First appearance | 10 May 1995 | ||||||
| Last appearance | 6 February 2013 | ||||||
| Introduced by | Gavin Strawhan (1995) Harriet Crampton (2002) Steven Zanoski (2012) |
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| Book appearances | Kirsty and Lionel - Shortland Street Books (1996) | ||||||
| Classification | Former; recurring | ||||||
| Profile | |||||||
| Occupation | Nurse at Shortland Street Hospital (2012–13) Bartender (1996–2002) Builder (until 1995) |
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| Father | Phillip Smith |
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| Mother | Jane Smith |
| Half-brothers | James Thornton |
Zachary "Zac" 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.
Zac appeared in numerous stints throughout the show's first 20 years, initially debuting in May 1995 as a short term love interest for Grace Kwan (Lynette Forday). He was later involved in a high-profile revelation that he was the half brother of established character, James Thornton (Chris Dykzeul). Zac returned 6 years later as part of Rachel McKenna's (Angela Bloomfield) alcoholism storyline before his return in 2012 saw him take on a more antagonistic role. His storylines saw him have a heated affair despite being in a relationship and later, sexually assault Roimata Samuels (Shavaughn Ruakere) in a personal attack on her husband.
Zac has been labelled a "hottie" and his generally remembered for his good looks. His later storylines saw Zac branded as one of the best Shortland Street villains of all time, being praised by reviewers and stars of the soap itself.
Mike Edward was just 21 when he cast in the role of Zac in 1995. Part of the role in which producers intended Shortland Street to participate in, was to accurately portray and convey real life community and everyday occurrences. The character of Zac was written as a builder so as to embody the role of the working class man. Edward maintained the role until mid 1996. Edward returned to the role on 23 November 2002 in a month-long recurring stint. Edward auditioned numerous times throughout the next few years but was constantly rejected due to producer's suspecting the audience would recognize him as Zac. In 2011 the role of "Jack" was created, a love interest for Sarah Potts (Amanda Billing) who would cheat on her in a high-profile love triangle. The character and storyline was decided to unfold over 6 months in a bid for slower paced story arcs. Producers soon realized they could fill the characters spot with that of Zac and Edward was hired.
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