Ella Purnell
Biography
Ella Summer Reed Purnell is an English actress born on September 17, 1996, in Whitechapel, London, England. She began her professional journey as a child actress performing in West End theatre. Her foundational training included weekly classes at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, where she studied acting, singing, and dance. Known professionally as Ella Purnell, she has established a diverse career across both film and television. With 43 known credits in the industry, she continues to work as an active performer. Her background in stage performance and formal arts education provided the basis for her transition into screen acting, where she has since appeared in a variety of high-profile projects throughout her career.
Career overview
Purnell's film career began with her appearance in the 2010 production Never Let Me Go. She subsequently secured roles in several notable films, including the 2016 release Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, the 2017 biographical drama Churchill, and the 2021 film Army of the Dead. These roles helped establish her presence in the film industry, showcasing her ability to work across various genres and production scales.
In addition to her film work, Purnell has maintained a consistent presence in television. Her credits include the 2018 series Sweetbitter and the 2020 production Belgravia. She gained further recognition for her roles in the 2021 projects Yellowjackets, the animated series Arcane, and Star Trek: Prodigy. Most recently, she appeared in the 2024 television series Fallout. Through these diverse television appearances, Purnell has demonstrated her range as an actress, contributing to a variety of narrative formats and platforms.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- ViQueens (2026) as Ingrid (voice)
- Fallout (2024) as Lucy MacLean
- Sweetpea (2024) as Rhiannon
- Sweetpea (2024) Executive Producer
- Junk Male (2023) as Decency 'Dee' DiMartini
- Junk Male (2023) Director
- Junk Male (2023) Writer
- Junk Male (2023) Producer
- Toast (2023) as Narrator (voice)
- Not A Mourning Person (2023) Executive Producer
- Arcane: Bridging the Rift (2022) as Self / Jinx (voice)
- INVINCIBLE (2021) as Jane (voice)
- Last Meals (2021) as Self
- Arcane (2021) as Jinx (voice)
- Yellowjackets (2021) as Jackie Taylor
- Star Trek: Prodigy (2021) as Gwyn (voice)
- Army of the Dead (2021) as Kate Ward
- Creating an Army of the Dead (2021) as Self
- Belgravia (2020) as Maria Grey
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) as Self
- The Ready Room (2019) as Self
- Ordeal by Innocence (2018) as Hester Argyll
- Sweetbitter (2018) as Tess
- Oksijan (2018) as Inca
- UFO (2018) as Natalie
- Right Place, Wrong Tim (2018) as Clement Bell
- Churchill (2017) as Helen Garrett
- Access All Areas (2017) as Mia
- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016) as Emma Bloom
- The Legend of Tarzan (2016) as Young Jane Body Double (uncredited)
- The Journey Is the Destination (2016) as Amy
- Cyberbully (2015) as Megan Turner
- Wildlike (2015) as Mackenzie
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self - Guest
- Maleficent (2014) as Teen Maleficent
- Maleficent (2014) Stunt Double
- The Game Awards (2014) as Self
- Kick-Ass 2 (2013) as Dolce
- Candy (2011) as Candy
- Intruders (2011) as Mia Farrow
- Never Let Me Go (2010) as Young Ruth
- Ways to Live Forever (2010) as Kaleigh
- The Return of Stanley Atwell as Pamela
- Hot Ted as Amy
- Hot Ted Producer
- Loser
- The Scurry
- That Time We Met