KJ Apa

KJ Apa Headshot

Actor

Birth Date: June 17, 1997

Age: 27 years old

Birth Place: Auckland, New Zealand

How do you make a splash with a live-action TV teen drama based on the long-running, always-wholesome Archie comics series? One good way is to hit the internet with a sexy, shirtless shot of its star. The teaser video, which appeared in November 2015, featured New Zealand actor KJ Apa, then 19 years old, looking considerably more manly than the good-natured, slightly goofy Archie familiar from the comic strip, and it served notice that "Riverdale" (CW 2017- ) would be a darker, edgier version of the characters everybody knows.

The show puts a murder in the town of Riverdale, as Archie and the gang help to find the killer. Apa was already established at home as an actor and sex symbol. Born Keneti James Apa in Auckland, he was of mixed New Zealand and Maorian heritage. As a teenager he joined the cast of "Shortland Street," New Zealand's longest-running (since 1992) and most popular prime-time soap opera.

During summer 2015 his agent brought him to Hollywood, ultimately securing the "Riverdale" role. Also a musician, he recorded a solo guitar album at age 14. Apa spent the summer of 2016 in Boston shooting the independent drama "Alter Rock" (2017) with director Andrzej Bartkowiak. Loosely based on events around the Boston Marathon bombings, it concerns a young woman who falls in love with a Muslim immigrant during a vacation on Nantucket.

He also appeared in "A Dog's Purpose" (2017), based on the W. Bruce Cameron novel, starring Dennis Quaid and Britt Robertson, before co-starring alongside Amandla Stenberg in critically-acclaimed teen race-relations drama "The Hate U Give" (2018).

News aboutKJ Apa

KJ Apa and Camila Mendes in 'Riverdale'
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‘Riverdale’ EP Sarah Schechter Teases ‘Really Emotional’ & ‘Satisfying’ Series Finale

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‘Riverdale’ Sneak Peek: Mark Consuelos Resurrects Hiram Lodge (Video)

KJ Apa in 'Riverdale'
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KJ Apa on ‘Loving’ the ’50s of ‘Riverdale’ & Looking Back at His Own Past

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KJ Apa on ‘Riverdale’ Ending: ‘It’s Going to Be Really Hard to Say Goodbye to Archie’

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‘Riverdale’ Final Season Trailer: Archie & the Gang Get Trapped in 1950s (VIDEO)

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Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Explains How ‘Riverdale’ Is Embracing Its Supernatural Side

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‘Riverdale’ Boss on That Premiere Death, Rivervale’s High Body Count & More

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‘Riverdale’ Boss Teases New Pairings & a Musical When Season 5 Returns (VIDEO)

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‘Riverdale’ Sneak Peek: Rivalry Heats Up as Archie Meets Ronnie’s Man & Is So Not Impressed (Video)

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KJ Apa Reveals New Info on Luke Perry ‘Riverdale’ Tribute Episode

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‘Riverdale’ Cast Teases Season 4, Jughead’s Possible Death & Senior Year (VIDEO)

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‘Riverdale’ Season 3 Bloopers Show Off Light-Hearted Luke Perry Moments (VIDEO)

2019 Comic-Con International -
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‘Riverdale’ Season 4 Panel Scoop: Luke Perry’s Tribute, Jughead’s Fate & a Flash-Forward

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Survive the Night
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‘Riverdale’ Introduces a New, Crazy, Bloody Mystery in the Season 3 Finale (RECAP)

Chapter Fifty-Six: The Dark Secret of Harvest House
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Chapter Fifty-Five: Prom Night
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Betty’s Prom Night Becomes a Horror Movie on ‘Riverdale’ (RECAP)

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TV’s Top 25 Redheads: From ‘Riverdale’’s KJ Apa to ‘Outlander’’s Sam Heughen

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