Star Madelaine Petsch has etched her name in the TV sphere with her breakout role as Cheryl Blossom for seven seasons of The CW’s hit, Riverdale. Having started acting at the age of five, Petsch has gained recognition for her works in the horror and mystery genres, starring in movies like Jane and Polaroid. The talented actress celebrates her 30th birthday on Sunday, 18 August 2024. As she steps into a new milestone, we take a look back on her life and career.
Early life
Madelaine Grobbelaar Petsch was born on August 18, 1994, in Port Orchard, Washington, USA. Raised by South African parents, Michele and Timothy S Petsch, the now-30-year-old has spent the first decade of her life flying to and fro between South Africa and Washington, per a report by Status Magazine published in May 2017. She has an older sibling, Shaun Petsch.
She enrolled in dance classes at the tender age of 3 while her first introduction to acting was at five when she joined theater classes. Petsch graduated from the Tacoma School of the Arts, Washington. Later on, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career.
In 2017, Petsch opened up about her childhood struggles as an outsider in a small town in Washington. The TV star told Cosmopolitan that she and her brother were bullied for their redheaded appearance and South African accents. The Petsch siblings were also ridiculed for their vegan ways of life and stance on religion.
Hence, Madelaine’s extraordinary childhood did not fit well with her American counterparts. “I was just the weirdest kid in this small town, so I got made fun of a lot for it. My brother got stones thrown at him!” the actress disclosed at the time.
Elsewhere, Petsch advocates for the vegan community and participates in PETA awareness campaigns.
Hollywood career
Madelaine Petsch debuted on TV after she was signed up for Coca-Cola’s national advertising campaign in 2014. Following that, she landed the role of Cheryl Blossom in February 2016 and originated the redhead character after it aired early next year, per Deadline. She was reportedly signed for the role in late 2015 by a casting director involved with DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, per Glamour.
Riverdale’s premiere in 2017 was an instant hit among the youth and set Petsch on the map, to star as Cheryl for the next seven seasons until the show wrapped in 2023.
Simultaneously, she made her Hollywood debut with the 2019 horror film, Polaroid. She joined the cast as Sarah only months after Riverdale’s premiere.
Petsch is also a social media personality and runs her own YouTube channel to introduce her fans to the “real” Madelaine besides her on-screen roles. 2019 also brought in disappointment as she was set to star and executive produce Mitzi Peirone’s horror-comedy, Saint Clare but was replaced by Bella Thorne in 2022, per Deadline.
Over the years, the actress has bagged notable roles that tend to spin around horror and mystery, the likes of 2020’s Sightless, 2022’s Jane, 2016’s The Curse of Sleeping Beauty, and 2014’s The Hive among others. Petsch’s rom-com works include 2022’s About Fate and Hotel for the Holidays.
Madelaine Petsch recently signed with the film franchise, Renny Harlin’s The Strangers trilogy, whose first installment premiered in theaters on May 17, 2024. The horror mystery comes as the third installment of the original The Strangers film series – The Strangers, released in 2008, and The Strangers: Prey At Night in 2018. Fans will see Petsch lead the plot in The Strangers: Chapter 2, the second installment of Renny Harlin’s trilogy set to release in late 2024.
Personal Life
Petsch reportedly dated rapper Travis Mills, formerly T. Mills, for three years before they split in 2020. Their romance started with a DM from the rapper in 2017 and the couple were very public with their relationship which, Petsch said, she regretted after the breakup, per Cosmopolitan.
Soon after, the Riverdale star sparked romance with Halsey’s music manager Anthony Li in 2022. She confirmed the rumors with a soft launch Instagram post in November of that year and revealed in August 2023 that they had been dating for a year, per a report by J-14.
Previously, she was romantically linked to British fencer, Miles Chamley-Watson. The rumors flew out after they were spotted together in Vancouver, Canada in March 2021.
The actress had opened up about her mental health struggles in the aftermath of her relationship with T. Mills. She told Flaunt Magazine that her mental health was at an “all-time low” as she was dealing with the breakup midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
