Ella Purnell biography, age, parents, height, boyfriend, dating history 2025

Biography of Ella Purnell

Ella Purnell is a British actress with striking green eyes, who is being hailed by the media as the new muse of American director Tim Burton. Her acting career took off with her role in his film "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children." Since then, she has appeared in series such as "Yellowjackets" and "Fallout."

Childhood

The young but already famous British actress in Hollywood was born on September 17, 1996, in the capital of the United Kingdom, where she currently lives with her mother and stepfather. She has three younger half-brothers from her father's side (her parents are divorced, each with a new family). Her mother is a yoga teacher, and her stepfather owns a sports club.

The future actress attended Forest School, a private institution located on the edge of the ancient Epping Forest in the northeastern part of the city, where the educational approach included, among other things, fostering a careful attitude toward nature in children. Later, she attended the City of London School for Girls, known for its ancient history and impeccable academic reputation.

From an early age, Ella had a desire to learn and to excel. Perhaps that's why, at the age of 12, she was fortunate to be selected from among hundreds of other candidates for a role in the musical "Oliver!" based on the famous work "Oliver Twist" by Dickens. Having secured the role, she performed at the Royal Drury Lane Theatre as part of the children's troupe for the following year.

Ella Purnell has been acting in films since she was thirteen

In addition to her main studies and theatre work, she began training at the renowned Sylvia Young Theatre School, where she learned acting skills, the basics of stage speech, vocals, dance, and also attended music classes.

Acting Career

Ella Purnell made her film debut in 2010. After the musical "Oliver!" was removed from the theatre's repertoire, she was invited to play the role of young Ruth, the main character in the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel "Never Let Me Go," a British writer of Japanese descent, about donor clones who die after organ harvesting. The adult version of this character was played by Keira Knightley.

Ella Purnell's First Film Role ('Never Let Me Go', 2010)

At the age of 14, Ella took on the role of Kayleigh in the film "Ways to Live Forever," based on the work of Sally Nicholls, known for her deep psychological explorations.

A Shot from the Movie 'Ways to Live Forever'

She then appeared in the 2011 film "Intruders," shot in London and Madrid, as Mia, the daughter of the central character played by British actor Clive Owen. Following this, the young talent was listed in Screen International's Top 10 UK Stars of Tomorrow.

Young Ella Purnell Played in the Horror Movie 'Intruders'

In 2013, the actress could be seen as Dolce in the action-comedy "Kick-Ass 2," alongside American actress and model Chloë Grace Moretz, who portrayed the deadly girl named Hit-Girl, British star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and comedian Jim Carrey.

Every Character Ella Purnell Plays is Bright and Unique

In 2014, she portrayed the young version of Angelina Jolie's character in the fantasy film "Maleficent," a remake of Disney's "Sleeping Beauty." To the young actress's immense joy, Jolie herself suggested she be cast for the role. It's understandable why Ella was thrilled – who wouldn't dream of meeting a Hollywood star at that age?

Ella also starred as the runaway rebellious girl Mackenzie in the film "Wildlike," which earned her several awards, including the Laiff June Award for Best Actress.

In an interview with Interview Magazine, the girl who gained international recognition in such a short time confessed that her true passion lies in theatre, not cinema, and that she is desperately eager to return to the stage.

Filming of Wildlike in Alaska feat. Ella Purnell and Bruce Greenwood

In 2015, the actress starred alongside Asa Butterfield and Eva Green in Tim Burton's fairy tale film "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," released in 2016. She played the role of Emma Bloom, a girl with the supernatural ability to control air.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: Ella Purnell as Emma Bloom

She then appeared in "The Legend of Tarzan" as the young Jane Porter. Interestingly, Margot Robbie, who portrayed the adult companion of the main character, is only five years older than Purnell in real life.

Ella Purnell's American Accent Is So Good Her Co-Star Didn't Believe She's British

In 2016, Ella Purnell was busy with the youth travel film "Access All Areas" and two biopics – "Churchill," which tells the story of the legendary British Prime Minister (played by Brian Cox), and "The Journey is the Destination," which recounted the life of 22-year-old English photojournalist Dan Eldon, who was beaten to death in Somalia.

Today, Ella Purnell is One of the Best Young Actresses

Her acting portfolio then grew with roles in the thriller based on Agatha Christie's "Ordeal by Innocence," the science fiction film "UFO," and the main role in the 2018 miniseries "Sweetbitter."

In 2021, Netflix released the zombie thriller "Army of the Dead," in which Ella played a leading role alongside Dave Bautista. They portrayed a mercenary father and his daughter, attempting to steal a large sum from a Las Vegas casino before a nuclear strike is called on the zombie-infested city.

That same year, Ella Purnell became the star of the psychological thriller series "Yellowjackets," about a soccer team that, after a plane crash, ends up in a remote wilderness. Ella's character, Jackie, the team captain, becomes the leader of the survivors. However, the hierarchy quickly collapses, and her former friends turn against her.

Ella Purnell in the TV Series 'Yellowjackets'

Additionally, she voiced Jinx in the animated series "Arcane," based on the game League of Legends, and Gwen in the animated series "Star Trek: Prodigy." She later voiced Jane in the second season of the animated series "Invincible."

Ella Purnell Interview: Arcane League of Legends

Ella Purnell's Personal Life

Ella Purnell's filmography includes complex, vivid, thrilling, and serious movies. Despite her youth, this exceptionally talented actress has always immersed herself into roles and handled any character with ease.

Off-screen, she remains a regular girl with an active stance on life. In her senior years of school, she enjoyed teaching dance to younger students and tutoring those falling behind in math. She mastered two foreign languages (French and Spanish), learned to play the piano and saxophone. In July 2016, she independently organized a fundraiser for a crisis support fund for children and teens, donating 7,000 pounds sterling to the charity.

Ella Purnell dreams of returning to the stage

In addition to her acting career, the young British actress actively participates in charity work – collaborating with the nonprofit organization Educate2Eradicate, focusing on gender discrimination issues, working with troubled teens, and implementing measures to protect the honor and dignity of girls and women. She also closely works with the Creative Photojournalism Foundation, which aims to support talented young individuals who want to use their creativity to bring positive change to society. Ella enjoys tennis, gymnastics classes, and is an excellent fencer. In 2016, she made her modeling debut at fashion shows for brands like Gucci and Dior.

Following the joint movie project "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" with Asa Butterfield, rumors about their relationship surfaced in the press, which were never officially confirmed. However, it is known that during filming breaks, the young man helped his co-star prepare for her final exams, which she credits as the reason she passed them.

Ella Purnell and Asa Butterfield spending time together

In autumn 2017, foreign tabloids reported that 21-year-old actress was receiving unequivocal attention from 53-year-old Brad Pitt. They worked together on the adaptation of Stephanie Danler's novel "Sweetbitter," with Ella in the lead role and Pitt's company Plan B producing the series. Later, the actress denied the rumors of a romance and regretted not quashing them immediately.

Ella closely resembles the young Angelina Jolie, her fans believe

In 2019, Ella started dating Rob Raco, a Canadian actor and musician. They parted ways in 2020.

Since 2022, Ella's boyfriend has been musician Max Bennett Kelly. In 2023, he released his debut album "Junk Male," and later they starred together in a short film by the same name. Kelly played a boxer named Hollywood Thompson, while Purnell played his love interest, Desensi "Dee" DiMartini. "I couldn't have done it without Ella; she brought this film to life," Kelly admitted.

Ella Purnell Now

In April 2024, Amazon released the series "Fallout", inspired by the video game franchise of the same name. Ella Purnell plays the lead role of Lucy, a girl from Vault 33 who, due to circumstances, is forced to leave her home and confront the aggressive and cynical outside world of the Wasteland, where everyone's thoughts and actions clash with her idealistic principles. The actress spoke highly of her character. "I was told that Lucy could be the star of a toothpaste commercial or kill you. They're a mix of Leslie Knope [the main character of the series 'Parks and Recreation'] and Ned Flanders. And I said, 'I'm in.'

FALLOUT: Ella Purnell Talks Gaming Her Way into Character

Ella Purnell: latest news and articles

poptarget

That`s not a photo of her from Maleficent. That is Isabelle Molloy who played the younger Angelina Jolie in the movie.

2024-04-11 23:20:10
Juan Wilson

I don`t like fantasy movies but `Miss Peregrine`s Home for Peculiar Children` impressed me. Especially I liked there Ella Purnell, baby Bloom is adorable!

2021-04-27 21:05:21
Tammy Hill

In my view if Ella Purnell didn`t become an actress, she could be a politician. She is so young but she has a right life position. Bravo to her parents for raising her well!

2021-04-05 17:14:41
Ramon Lee

Beautiful girl and professional actress Ella Purnell played excellent in `Maleficent` as well as celebrities like Jolie.

2021-03-18 12:56:50
Christina Richardson

Talented, shy and charming with a clean position. All the dignities of Ella Purnell I can list very long but for me she is a good person and then after an actress.

2021-02-14 23:41:10
Clayton Davis

Ella Purnell became a muse for Tim Burton for a good reason, with such a big eyes her place is next to favorites actors of him.

2021-01-04 21:20:42