Ella Summer Purnell (born 17 September 1996) is an English actress best known for her roles as Jackie in the Showtime drama series ''
Yellowjackets
A yellowjacket is a black-and-yellow vespid wasp.
Yellowjacket(s) or Yellow Jacket(s) may also refer to:
Places
* Yellow Jacket, Colorado, an unincorporated town
* Yellow Jacket, Florida, an unincorporated area in Dixie County, Florida
Arts, e ...
,''
Jinx
A jinx (also jynx), in popular superstition and folklore, is a curse or the attribute of attracting bad or negative luck.
The word ''"jynx"'' meaning the bird wryneck and sometimes a charm or spell has been in use in English since the seventeen ...
in the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
animated television series
''Arcane'', and Gwyn in the
Paramount+
Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Media Networks (formerly Viacom Media ...
/
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
animated series ''
Star Trek: Prodigy''. She is also known for her roles in the films
''Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'' (2016),
''Churchill'' (2017), and ''
Army of the Dead
''Army of the Dead'' is a 2021 American zombie heist film directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay he co-wrote with Shay Hatten and Joby Harold, based on a story he also created. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Dave Bauti ...
'' (2021).
Early life
Ella Summer Purnell
was born in the
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...
area of
East London on 17 September 1996 and raised in
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heath Road. By ...
. She attended Bethnal Green Montessori,
Forest School, the
City of London School for Girls, and the
Young Actors Theatre Islington. She also attended weekly classes at the
Sylvia Young Theatre School
Sylvia Young Theatre School is an independent school in Marble Arch, London, England. It is a specialist performing arts school named after its founder and principal, Sylvia Young OBE.
Outline
The Sylvia Young Theatre School was founded in ...
, studying acting, singing, and dance, and was represented by their in-house talent agency.
Career
Film
In 2008, Purnell beat hundreds of other girls for a role in ''
Oliver!'' at London's
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...
. Towards the end of her time in ''Oliver!'', she won the role of Young Ruth in
Mark Romanek
Mark Romanek (; born September 18, 1959) is an American filmmaker whose directing work includes feature films, television, music videos and commercials. Romanek wrote and directed the 2002 film ''One Hour Photo'' and directed the 2010 film '' Neve ...
's ''
Never Let Me Go'' – a feature film based on the book by
Kazuo Ishiguro
Sir Kazuo Ishiguro ( ; born 8 November 1954) is a British novelist, screenwriter, musician, and short-story writer. Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and moved to Britain in 1960 with his parents when he was five.
He is one of the most cr ...
. It was released in 2010 to positive reviews. She was then cast as Kayleigh in Gustavo Ron's ''
Ways to Live Forever'', adapted from the book by
Sally Nicholls, and as Mia in the
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (born 5 December 1967) is a Spanish film director, script writer, and producer. He directed '' Intacto'' and ''28 Weeks Later'', the sequel to Danny Boyle's ''28 Days Later''. His film ''Esposados'' was nominated for the Aca ...
film ''
Intruders''. Purnell was named by
Screen International as one of 10 UK Stars of Tomorrow. She also appeared in the
BBC HD
BBC HD was a 24-hour high-definition television channel provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007 before its discontinuation on 26 March 2013. It broadcast ...
Film Short ''Candy'' in June 2011.
In 2013, Purnell appeared in the feature film ''
Kick-Ass 2'' as the character Dolce. She also appeared as a main character in the independent film, ''
WildLike'', and as a teenage version of the character
Maleficent
Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Productions' 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). She is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed " Mistress of All Evil ...
in
Disney's 2014 film ''
Maleficent
Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Productions' 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). She is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed " Mistress of All Evil ...
''. In 2016, Purnell starred in
Tim Burton
Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...
's adaptation of ''
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'', based on the
novel of the same name, by
Ransom Riggs
Ransom Riggs (born February 3, 1979) is an American writer and filmmaker best known for the book ''Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children''.
Early life and education
Riggs was born in Maryland in 1979 on a 200-year-old farm, and grew up in ...
. In 2017, she played Mia in ''Access All Areas''. Later that year, Purnell appeared in the historical drama film ''
Churchill'', playing
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
's secretary Helen Garrett.
TV
In 2018, Purnell appeared as Hester Argyll in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. Later that year, Purnell starred in the leading role of the
. She played Tess, a naive 22-year-old who moves to New York City to pursue a new life, and gets caught up in the world of fine dining. It was announced in December 2019 that Starz had cancelled the series. In 2020, Purnell played Lady Maria Grey in
. In 2021, she began starring as Jackie in the
''. Later that year she voiced Gwyn in the animated series
.