Madelaine Grobbelaar Petsch born August 18, 1994 is an American actress and YouTuber. She is known for portraying Cheryl Blossom on The CW television series Riverdale and Marissa in F the Prom.
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 Washington. She attended the Tacoma School of the Arts and relocated to Los Angeles after graduating. Petsch has one 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 and premiered on January 26, 2017. In March 2017, she joined the cast of the film Polaroid, which was released in 2019.
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, she began speaking out as a vegan, after having been raised vegetarian. She has also participated in an awareness campaign for PETA.
Filmography
Film
| 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 |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Instant Mom | Mermaid | Episode: “Gone Batty” |
| 2017–present | Riverdale | Cheryl Blossom | Main role |
| 2020 | Acting for a Cause | Jane Bennet | Episode: “Pride and Prejudice” |
| 2020 | The Simpsons | Sloan | Voice role; episode: “The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds” |
| 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 | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Hissy Fit | Riverdale | Won | |
| 2018 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Scene Stealer | Riverdale | Won | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Hissy Fit | Riverdale | Won | ||
| 2019 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Musical Moment | Riverdale | Nominated | |
| Shorty Awards | Breakout YouTuber of the Year | Herself | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Ship (with Vanessa Morgan) | Riverdale | Nominated |