Charles Melton
Charles Michael Melton (born January 4, 1991)[1] is an American actor and model. He is known for his roles as Reggie Mantle on The CW television series Riverdale and Daniel Bae in the film The Sun Is Also a Star (2019).[2][3]
Charles Melton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles Michael Melton January 4, 1991 Juneau, Alaska, U.S. |
| Education | Manhattan High School |
| Alma mater | Kansas State University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2010–present |
Early life
Melton was born on January 4, 1991, in Juneau, Alaska, United States, to Sukyong and Phil Melton.[4] His father is an American with English ancestry,[5][3][6] his mother is a Korean emigrant who moved to the U.S. with his father in 1990. Melton is their eldest child.[1] His family moved frequently because his father worked for the military.[2] At one time, he and his family lived in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, South Korea, for about five years.[1] They eventually settled down in Manhattan, Kansas[3][6] where Melton graduated from Manhattan High School in 2009.[7][8] Melton studied at nearby Kansas State University, where he played as a defensive back on the football team under coach Bill Snyder.[4][8] He left school at 20 to pursue acting and moved to Los Angeles, California, in 2012.[2]
He also previously worked as a dog walker on the app Wag.[3]
Career
He was first successful as a model, having booked gigs for Dolce & Gabbana, Kenneth Cole and MAC.[3] His first acting roles included guest spots on Glee and American Horror Story.[3]
Melton received mainstream attention in 2017 when he was cast as Reggie Mantle in the second season of the CW series Riverdale. He replaced Ross Butler, who left the cast due to his commitment to 13 Reasons Why.[9] After recurring during the second season, Melton officially became a series regular on Riverdale starting with the third season.[10] In 2019, he starred in his first feature film as Daniel Bae in The Sun Is Also a Star, the film adaptation of the book of the same name by Nicola Yoon.[11][12] Melton is the first Korean-American and Asian-American actor to lead a teen romance film from a major Hollywood studio.[13]
Personal life
In June 2018, Melton was involved in a controversy over fat shaming tweets he had written in 2011 and 2012. He later apologized, calling the tweets "immature, offensive and inappropriate".[14]
Melton dated Riverdale co-star Camila Mendes between October 2018 and December 2019.[15][16]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Thinning: New World Order | Cage | Web film |
| 2019 | The Sun Is Also a Star | Daniel Bae | |
| 2020 | Bad Boys for Life | Rafe | |
| 2020 | Mainstream | Himself | Cameo |
| 2021 | Heart of Champions | Chris | |
| 2022 | Secret Headquarters | Hawaii | |
| TBA | May December | Joe | Post-Production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Glee | Model | Episode: "New New York" |
| 2015–2016 | American Horror Story: Hotel | Mr. Wu | 2 episodes |
| 2017–present | Riverdale | Reggie Mantle | Recurring (season 2); main (season 3–present) |
| 2021 | American Horror Stories | Wyatt | Episode: "The Naughty List" |
| 2023 | Poker Face | Davis McDowell | Episode: "The Future of the Sport" |
| 2023 | History of the World, Part II | Joshy Mudman | 3 episodes |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "Save My Soul" | JoJo |
| 2019 | "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" | Ariana Grande |
References
- ^ a b c Choi, Ji Woong (January 24, 2019). "CHARLES MELTON". DAZED KOREA (in Korean). from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ^ a b c Nordstrom, Leigh (November 27, 2018). "Charles Melton Is Your Next Heartthrob". Women's Wear Daily. from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Kaufman, Amy (May 17, 2019). "Riverdale's Charles Melton steps into the spotlight with The Sun Is Also a Star". Los Angeles Times. from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ a b Tang, Elisa; Morrison, Tony; Singh, Nidhi; Cirillo, Chris; Bernabe, Angeline Jane (May 16, 2019). "'On Their Shoulders': Why Charles Melton calls his mom his 'queen' and 'hero'". ABC News. from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ^ Tanabe, Sam (May 20, 2019). "Interview: Charles Melton". hapamag.com. from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ a b "Model of the Week: Charles Melton". models.com. August 4, 2011. from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ "2010 Football | Charles Melton". Kansas State University Athletics. from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ^ a b Cassidy, Robert (August 4, 2011). "Melton moves on after football". kansasstate.rivals.com. from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ^ Nemetz, Dave (May 12, 2017). "Meet Riverdale's New Reggie — Plus: Ross Butler Endorses Recast". TVLine. from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ Swift, Andy (May 2, 2018). "Riverdale Promotes Vanessa Morgan, Charles Melton to Series Regulars". TVLine. from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia; Sun, Rebecca (May 31, 2018). "Riverdale Star Charles Melton Joins Yara Shahidi in The Sun Is Also a Star (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ Gandhi, Lakshmi (May 17, 2019). "In his first feature film, actor Charles Melton is learning to 'trust the process'". NBC News. from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ Shia, Jonathan (May 25, 2019). "CHARLES MELTON KEEPS BREAKING BOUNDARIES". THE LAST MAGAZINE. from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ^ Dicker, Ron (June 20, 2018). "Charles Melton Of Riverdale Apologizes For Fat-Shaming Tweets". The Huffington Post. from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ Gay, Danielle (October 8, 2018). "Riverdale has produced another couple as Camila Mendes and Charles Melton confirm dating rumours". Vogue Australia. from the original on November 22, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
- ^ Cohen, Jess (December 5, 2019). "Riverdale's Camila Mendes and Charles Melton Are "Taking a Break"". E! Online. from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2023.