Birth Name: Keneti James Fitzgerald Apa Birth Place: Auckland, New Zealand Date of Birth: June 17, 1997 Height: 5′ 11″ (1.8 m) Mother: Tessa Apa Father: Keneti Apa Siblings: 2; Ari & Timēna

001. Biography (below) 002. Information Files 003. Career Files 004. IMDB Profile 005. Official Instagram 006. Official Twitter 007. Photos

Keneti James Fitzgerald Apa was born on June 16, 1997 in Auckland, New Zealand to his parents Tessa Callander and Keneti Apa, and two older sisters, Timena and Ari. His father is Samoan and his mother is Kiwi (New Zealander), also coming from English and Scottish descent. Growing up in a Christian family, he continues his beliefs today, even actively expressing his need for God every day. As a child, he would play the guitar on street corners in his neighborhood, and at the age of 14, KJ recorded a solo guitar album. After graduating high school from King’s College, KJ decided to pursue an acting career.

While he was still in high school, KJ booked a recurring role on the television series “Shortland Street” playing Kane Jenkins, a suicidal teen, on the primetime soap. He only appeared in two seasons, due to his acting career starting to bud in Hollywood. In 2016, KJ played the role of Jack in six episodes of the New Zealand television series “The Cup De Sac”.

In 2017, KJ released his first feature film, A Dog’s Purpose, where he played the role of Teen Ethan. That same year, The CW started airing a new television series “Riverdale”, playing the roles of Archie Andrews, as well as the teenage version of Fred Andrews. The series became a quick hit, marking Archie as KJ’s breakout role; executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told Vulture in 2017 that KJ was perfect for the role, stating that “it was the right combination of earnestness and edge.” During his audition for the role, KJ played a rendition of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on his electric guitar.

In 2018, The CW released a short film on YouTube called Your Brain on Jingle Jangle, starring KJ, along with Camila Mendes, playing their characters Archie and Veronica. In October, his next film The Hate U Give was released; KJ played Chris, the boyfriend of Amandla Stenberg’s character Starr.

In 2019, he played the role of Griffin in the Netflix film The Last Summer opposite Maia Mitchell. The film revolves around a group of friends spending their last summer together before heading off to college. KJ’s next film Altar Rock came next, a thriller that was inspired by the Boston Marathon bombing, where he played Niko.

In March 2020, KJ’s latest film I Still Believe was released in theaters. He portrayed Christian musician Jeremy Camp, in the true story about his love and loss. The film co-starred Britt Robertson and executive produced by Jeremy Camp, himself.