Tessa Thompson biography, husband, parents, net worth, ethnicity, age 2025

Biography of Tessa Thompson

Tessa Thompson is an American stage and screen actress who's starred in hit TV series like Veronica Mars, Copper and Westworld, plus blockbuster films including Creed and Thor: Ragnarok. Net worth: $4 million.

Her Childhood and Youth

Tessa Lynn Thompson was born on October 3, 1983, in Los Angeles, but split her childhood between LA and Brooklyn after her parents divorced – her mom stayed in the City of Angels with Tessa and her older sister, while her dad relocated to New York.

By nationality, Tessa Thompson is an American with Afro-Panamanian, European and Mexican roots

Tessa's father, Marc Anthony Thompson, is a singer and songwriter, a member of the musical band Chocolate Genius Inc. Her father has Afro-Panamanian roots, while her mother is of European and Mexican heritage. The actress's grandfather is musician Bobby Ramos, one of the first Mexican TV presenters on American television.

Tessa was fascinated by the movie industry from an early age. She and her father act in a show about catching crocodiles on the Hollywood Hills. It was their personal game: little Tessa would call and leave voicemails as different characters, and once even showed up to meet him dressed as a boy hunter. "I always loved becoming other people – it's a real art form," Thompson recalls.

My family was quite liberal. The parents did not say: Hey, you`re a kid, go to bed or You are a child, your opinion does not interest anyone.

But even her family's progressive values couldn't shield young Tessa from the harsh realities of racism. When Tessa was just 7, another child on the playground called her the n-word for the first time.

Once, her mum, who worked in the Los Angeles City Hall, sent her daughter to a privileged private school. Only 4 Black students attended the school, including Tessa. Fed up with constant bullying from classmates, Tessa begged her mother to transfer her to a regular public school. Public school felt like a completely different world – 4,000 students from diverse backgrounds, plus a Club of Racial Harmony where upperclassmen educated newcomers about the dangers of racial stereotypes.

Thompson was educated at Santa Monica College, where she studied cultural anthropology. As an applicant, she dreamed of a career in the Peace Corps, but in college, she became interested in theater and decided to become an actress.

Her Acting Career

She made her professional stage debut in 2000. In Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company, she acted in the play The Tempest.

Tessa first appeared on screen in 2005, starring as a bootlegging lesbian in an episode of the TV series Cold Case. This was followed by her role in the horror movie When a Stranger Calls, which was not too successful.

Over the next decade, she landed dozens of roles in TV series and movies. Her characters' race was always emphasized, whether Tessa wanted it or not. For example, in 2006, Thompson was cast Jackie Cook, a girlfriend of the main character, in the teenage detective series Veronica Mars, but she was quickly taken out of the script because of the audience's dissatisfaction. According to the creators, Tessa's character was a stereotypical dark-skinned girl that probably annoyed everyone, the actress said.

Tessa Thompson in the TV series Veronica Mars

In 2006, she appeared in two episodes of the hit medical series Gray's Anatomy (Season 2) and the thriller The Initiation of Sarah. In 2007, Tessa's standout role was Nikki Barnes, Johnny Miller's girlfriend (Taylor Handley), in the TV series Hidden Palms. The following year, she appeared in a supporting role in the movie The Human Contract.

According to Zoomboola.com, in 2008, she starred in the dancing movie Make It Happen, where the main roles were played by Tessa and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. This was followed by the drama Mississippi Damned, about a family of black farmers from the South who endured long-standing racial discrimination.

Tessa Thompson in the movie Make It Happen

Her character was a brilliant pianist who finally broke through generations of humiliation. The jury at the independent Slamdance Film Festival found it strange that such a role went to the lightest-skinned cast member – were the directors mocking dark-skinned people? Regardless, the film earned Thompson the Best Actress Award at the American Black Film Festival. She was very proud of it.

In 2010, she performed in Tyler Perry's stage adaptation of For Colored Girls, which led to her being cast in the film version. Janet Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad, Thandie Newton, Loretta Devine, Anika Noni Rose, Kimberly Elise, and Kerry Washington also starred in Perry's movie about the life and fate of nine different African-American women. For her role, Tessa received the Black Reel Awards for Best Breakthrough Performance.

In 2012, the actress starred as Sarah Freeman, a wife of Dr. Matthew Freeman, in the TV series Copper. Tessa's character appeared in 22 episodes of the series. In 2014-2015, Thompson mainly starred in feature movies. These included Dear White People, a comedy about four black students at an Ivy League college, and Selma, a biopic about the civil rights movement in the USA.

For her role as singer Bianca in the sports drama Creed with Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone in the lead roles, Tessa received the award for Best Supporting Actress from the African-American Film Critics Association. The film was warmly received by audiences, which was surprising for a franchise reboot.

Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson in the movie Creed

November 2016 saw the release of black comedy War on Everyone, directed by Anglo-Irish filmmaker John Michael McDonagh and featuring an eclectic cast. In addition to Thompson, the Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard, Mexican Michael Pena and Englishman Theo James starred in this movie.

Tessa Thompson in the movie War on Everyone

Around the same time, Tessa appeared in several episodes of Westworld as Charlotte Hale, Executive Director of the Delos Destinations Board.

Tessa Thompson in the TV series Westworld

In April 2017, audiences saw Thompson in Bruce Isakson's drama South Dakota, where she played a teenager discovering her pregnancy after a brutal assault.

A few months later, Tessa starred in the video for the rapper Jay-Z for the song Moonlight.

November 3, 2017 marked the premiere of Thor: Ragnarok, the fifth film in the third phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the film, Tessa played one of the Valkyries, part of the legendary squad of female warriors who died defending Asgard from the goddess Hela. Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum and Mark Ruffalo were Thompson's colleagues on the set.

Tessa Thompson starred as Valkyrie in the movie Thor: Ragnarok

2018 was marked by the release of a number of movies with Tessa: Annihilation (directed by Alex Garland), Sorry to Bother You (directed by Boots Riley), and Little Woods (directed by Nia DaCosta). The actress also returned to her breakout role as Valkyrie in Avengers: Endgame, which premiered in 2019.

Other Projects

In 2014, she recorded several songs for the soundtrack to the movie Dear White People with her band Caught A Ghost. Their work can be attributed to the genre of soul music. She also starred as a singer in Creed.

Tessa Thompson - GRIP

Thompson is also an accomplished dancer, which you can see in her cameo appearance in Janelle Monáe's music video for "Yoga."

Personal Life of Tess Thompson

There have been rumors that Tessa once dated American actor Ben Crawley, but the couple never officially confirmed their relationship. Thompson appears to be single at the moment.

In 2018, Tessa Thompson came out as bisexual. In the same year, rumors appeared in the media about her possible romance with the singer Janelle Monet, but Tessa keeps her personal life private.

Tessa Thompson Now

In 2019, "Men in Black: International," the latest installment in the sci-fi comedy franchise, hit theaters. In it, Tessa played Agent M. The actress's partners on the set were Chris Hemsworth and Liam Neeson.

«Men in Black: International», trailer

That same year saw the release of Disney's live-action remake of "Lady and the Tramp," with Thompson voicing the titular Lady. Thompson is also set to star as Sylvie in the upcoming film "Sylvie's Love," slated for a 2020 release.

Tessa Thompson: latest news and articles

Choose the brightest actress in Hollywood

17 May 2022

Terry Carter

In Thor, Thompson was at her best, I only admired her. I wish you further creative success :)

2021-05-19 13:56:14
Zachary Hayden Jackson

I have never heard of actress Tessa Thompson, but after reading the biography, I would like to see «Westworld».

2021-04-17 14:25:10
Karen Holmes

Exactly, I saw Tessa in the series Grey`s Anatomy, I finally remembered...

2021-03-25 20:48:08
Steven Mason Lopez

And I liked the series «Veronica Mars» with Thompson. I don’t understand where so much negativity comes from?

2021-03-13 10:56:16
Carrie Martin

Talented right from childhood, I really like the appearance of Tessa Thompson.

2021-02-17 23:11:45

Photos: Tessa Thompson