Keneti James Fitzgerald "KJ" Apa (born 17 June 1997) is a New Zealander actor and singer. He gained recognition for playing Kane Jenkins in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street (2013–2015) and Archie Andrews in the CW teen drama series Riverdale (2017–2023). He has also starred in the adventure drama film A Dog's Purpose (2017), the teen drama film The Hate U Give (2018), and the biographical romantic drama film I Still Believe (2020). Apa released his debut solo album in 2021, the indie folk-rock album Clocks.
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Early life
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. His father is known as Keneti Apa, with Keneti being a Samoan rendering of "Kennedy": both Apa and his father are named after the late United States president John F. Kennedy. He has two older sisters. His uncle is former rugby union player and coach Michael Jones. Apa attended high school at King's College in Auckland before beginning his acting career.
