# Madelaine Petsch

Madelaine Grobbelaar Petsch (born August 18, 1994) is an American and South African actress and social media personality. She is best known for portraying Cheryl Blossom on The CW television series Riverdale (2017–2023).

## Early life

Petsch was born on August 18, 1994, in Port Orchard, Washington. At the age of three, she began dance classes, and two years later enrolled in theater classes. Petsch's parents are from South Africa, and she spent the first ten years of her life dividing her time between South Africa and the state of Washington. She attended the Tacoma School of the Arts and relocated to Los Angeles after graduating. Petsch has one older brother.

## Career

Petsch appeared in a national advertising campaign for Coca-Cola in 2014. In February 2016, she was cast as Cheryl Blossom in The CW's Riverdale, having been pinned for the role since late 2015 after meeting the casting director, who was at the time working on Legends of Tomorrow. The series began filming in September of that year. It premiered on January 26, 2017, and ended on August 23, 2023, after seven seasons. In March 2017, she joined the cast of the film Polaroid, which was released in 2019. In January 2019, it was announced that Petsch would star in and executive produce the horror-comedy film Saint Clare, but in 2022, Bella Thorne took over the role.
In April 2018, Petsch collaborated with sunglasses company Privé Revaux and released her own collection of sunglasses. Petsch has a YouTube channel, stating that the inspiration to start one was so fans could know the “real her” outside of acting.

## Personal life

At age 14, Petsch began speaking out as a vegan, after having been raised vegetarian. She has also participated in an awareness campaign for PETA.
From early 2017 to February 2020, Petsch was in a relationship with musician Travis Mills. Since August 2022, Petsch has been in a relationship with music manager Anthony Li. As of March 2025, she has been linked to Tyga.

## Filmography

Film roles :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2014 | The Hive | Current girl #2 | |
| 2016 | The Curse of Sleeping Beauty | Eliza | |
| 2017 | F the Prom | Marissa | Direct-to-video film |
| 2019 | Polaroid | Sarah | |
| 2020 | Sightless | Ellen Ashland | Also co-producer |
| 2022 | Jane | Olivia Brooks | Also producer |
| 2022 | About Fate | Clementine Pratt | |
| 2022 | Hotel for the Holidays | Georgia | |
| 2024 | The Strangers: Chapter 1 | Maya Lucas | Also executive producer |
| TBA | The Strangers: Chapter 2 | Maya Lucas | Post-production |
| TBA | The Strangers: Chapter 3 | Maya Lucas | Post-production |
| TBA | Maintenance Required | Charlie | Post-production; also executive producer |
Television roles :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2015 | Instant Mom | Mermaid | Episode: "Gone Batty" |
| 2017–2023 | Riverdale | Cheryl Blossom | Main role, 132 episodes |
| 2017–2023 | Riverdale | Teen Penelope Blossom | Guest role, 2 episodes |
| 2017–2023 | Riverdale | Abigail Blossom | Recurring role, 7 episodes |
| 2017–2023 | Riverdale | Poppy Blossom | Guest role, episode: "Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Witching Hour(s)" |
| 2017–2023 | Riverdale | Rose Blossom (possessing Cheryl) | Guest role, 2 episodes |
| 2017–2023 | Riverdale | Charity Blossom | Guest role, episode: "Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen: Return to Rivervale" |
| 2020 | The Simpsons | Sloan | Voice role; episode: "The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds" |
Web series roles :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2020 | Acting for a Cause | Jane Bennet | Episode: "Pride and Prejudice" |
| 2020 | Day by Day | Narrator | Voice role; episode: "Relocation" |
| 2020–2021 | The Shadow Diaries | Eliza Gold | Voice role; podcast |

### Music videos

* "Malibu" (2020, at home edition) by Kim Petras

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Hissy Fit | Riverdale | Won |
| 2018 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Scene Stealer | Riverdale | Won |
| 2018 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Hissy Fit | Riverdale | Won |
| 2019 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Musical Moment | Riverdale | Nominated |
| 2019 | Shorty Awards | Breakout YouTuber of the Year | Herself | Nominated |
| 2019 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Ship (with Vanessa Morgan) | Riverdale | Nominated |
| 2022 | Streamy Awards | Best Crossover (with Lili Reinhart and Camila Mendes) | Herself | Nominated |