KJ Apa

Keneti James Fitzgerald Apa (born 17 June 1997) is a New Zealand actor, singer, and musician. He began acting playing Kane Jenkins in the New Zealand primetime soap opera Shortland Street from 2013 to 2015. In 2017, Apa was cast in the lead role of Archie Andrews in the CW drama series Riverdale. In film, Apa has starred in A Dog's Purpose (2017), The Hate U Give (2018), and I Still Believe (2020).

Early life
KJ Apa was born on 17 June 1997 at Waitakere Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, the son of Tupa'i and Tessa Apa (née Callander). His father is Samoan and a matai (chief) of his village in Samoa; his mother is a European New Zealander. He has two older sisters and is the nephew of former rugby union player and coach Michael Jones. He attended high school at King's College in Auckland before beginning his acting career.

Career
From 2013 to 2015, Apa starred as Kane Jenkins in the New Zealand prime-time soap opera Shortland Street. In 2016, Apa was cast as Archie Andrews in the CW drama series Riverdale, after a four-month worldwide talent search.

In 2017, he starred as teenage Ethan Montgomery in the comedy-drama film A Dog's Purpose, which was released on the same day as Riverdale premiered on television. Apa's next film role was replacing Kian Lawley in the 2018 drama film The Hate U Give. Apa starred as Griffin in the Netflix film The Last Summer, which was released on 3 May 2019. He also starred as singer Jeremy Camp in the biographical romantic drama film I Still Believe, which was released in March 2020.

Apa starred in Adam Mason's critically panned 2020 thriller film Songbird, produced by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes. KJ Apa is set to appear in a military based drama "West Pointer"

Personal life
Apa was raised in a Christian family and has stated that he is a Christian, expressing on social media that "I need God [every day]." In April 2018, Apa publicly criticized Australian rugby player Israel Folau for claiming that it was god's plan to send gay people to hell, describing Folau's comments as "disappointing".

Apa was involved in a minor car accident in Vancouver in September 2017, but was uninjured when the passenger side of his car hit a light pole. The event was reportedly the result of Apa's falling asleep at the wheel after a long day of shooting the previous night.

Since 2020, Apa has been in a relationship with French model Clara Berry. The couple announced Berry's pregnancy in May 2021.