Ko Zandvliet was born in 1993 in Netherlands. He comes from an artistic background: both his parents were members of a Dutch theatre group called Dogtroep. He says that being in the middle of his parents' artistic endeavors while growing up sparked his interest in acting. Although Ko did not attend acting school, he did receive musical education at Arts & Entertainment College in Amsterdam. Ko plays trombone in an Afrobeat band Jungle by Night.