KJ Apa - Wikipedia KJ Apa KJ Apa Apa at WonderCon in 2017 Keneti James Fitzgerald Apa ( 1997 - 06 - 17 ) 17 June 1997 ( age 20 ) Auckland, New Zealand Occupation Actor Years active 2013 -- present Keneti James Fitzgerald `` KJ '' Apa ( born 17 June 1997 ) is a New Zealand actor. He is known for starring as Archie Andrews in the CW drama series Riverdale. Apa also starred as Kane Jenkins in the primetime soap opera Shortland Street and as teenage Ethan Montgomery in the comedy - drama film A Dog 's Purpose. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 4.1 Film 4.2 Television 5 Awards and nominations 6 References 7 External links Early life Apa was born in Auckland, the son of Keneti and Tessa Apa ( née Callander ). His father is half Samoan and is a Matai ( chief ) of his village in Samoa. He has two older sisters. He attended high school at King 's College, Auckland before embarking on his acting career. Career From 2013 to 2015, Apa starred as Kane Jenkins in the New Zealand prime - time soap opera Shortland Street. In 2015, he was cast as teenage Ethan Montgomery in the comedy - drama film A Dog 's Purpose, which was released in 2017. In 2016, Apa was cast as Archie Andrews in the CW drama series Riverdale after a four - month worldwide talent search. Personal life 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 falling asleep at the wheel after a long shoot the previous night. Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2017 A Dog 's Purpose Teenage Ethan Montgomery TBA Altar Rock Post-production 2019 The Hate U Give Chris Filming Television Year Title Role Notes 2013 -- 2015 Shortland Street Kane Jenkins Series Regular 2016 The Cul De Sac Jack 6 episodes 2017 -- present Riverdale Archie Andrews Main role Awards and nominations Year Award Nominated work Result Ref. 2017 Saturn Awards Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series Riverdale Nominated Breakthrough Performance Riverdale Won Teen Choice Awards Choice Breakout TV Star Riverdale Nominated 2018 Saturn Awards Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series Riverdale Pending References Jump up ^ `` Kiwi - Samoan actor KJ Apa scores lead US role ''. Suga Magazine. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2017. ^ Jump up to : Jung, E. Alex. `` Riverdale 's K.J. Apa on His Dye Job, Becoming a Sex Object, and Why He Ships Archie and Betty ''. Vulture. New York Magazine. Retrieved 16 January 2017. ^ Jump up to : Andreeva, Nellie ( 24 February 2016 ). `` Riverdale Finds Its Archie & Josie : KJ Apa To Topline CW Pilot ''. Deadline.com. Retrieved 16 January 2017. ^ Jump up to : Kit, Borys ( 5 August 2015 ). `` Britt Robertson, Dennis Quaid join DreamWorks ' A Dog 's Purpose ( Exclusive ) ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` Get to know KJ Apa ''. tmnz.co.nz. Retrieved 16 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` KJ Apa 's News ''. Youtube. Jump up ^ Jones, Bridget ( 13 November 2014 ). `` Our little brother the Shortie star ''. New Idea. Yahoo ! New Zealand. Jump up ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/riverdale-star-late-night-car-crash-working-16-hour-day-1041899 Jump up ^ Fleming Jr, Mike ( April 3, 2018 ). `` ' Riverdale 's K.J. Apa Set For ' The Hate U Give ' As Fox 2000 Reshoots Kian Lawley Scenes ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 3, 2018. Jump up ^ McNary, Dave ( March 2, 2017 ). `` Saturn Awards Nominations 2017 : ' Rogue One, ' ' Walking Dead ' Lead ''. Variety. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017. Jump up ^ Staley, Brandon ( June 29, 2017 ). `` Supergirl, Luke Cage, Doctor Strange Win at Annual Saturn Awards ''. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 1, 2017. Jump up ^ Rubin, Rebecca ( August 13, 2017 ). `` Teen Choice Awards 2017 : ' Riverdale, ' Fifth Harmony Shut Out Competition ''. Variety. Retrieved August 15, 2017. Jump up ^ McNary, Dave ( March 15, 2018 ). `` ' Black Panther, ' ' Walking Dead ' Rule Saturn Awards Nominations ''. Variety. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018. External links KJ Apa on IMDb KJ Apa on Twitter KJ Apa on Instagram VIAF : 56149912359906210716 This article about a New Zealand actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=KJ_Apa&oldid=837271550 '' Categories : New Zealand actor stubs 1997 births 21st - century New Zealand male actors Actors of Samoan descent Living people New Zealand male film actors New Zealand male soap opera actors New Zealand male television actors New Zealand people of Samoan descent People educated at King 's College, Auckland People from Auckland Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from February 2017 Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers All stub articles Talk Contents About Wikipedia বাংলা Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Português Русский Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська 中文 10 more Edit links This page was last edited on 19 April 2018, at 19 : 46. About Wikipedia

Question: who is the actor who plays archie in riverdale
Answer: Keneti James Fitzgerald "KJ" Apa