Ella Purnell Bio
Ella Summer Purnell (born 17 September 1996) is an English actress known for her versatility across stage, film and television. She began her career as a child actor on the West End and gained early film exposure in productions such as Never Let Me Go and Intruders before rising to wider recognition in Maleficent.
Early Life and Background
Ella Purnell was born in the Whitechapel area of London and grew up in Bethnal Green. She attended Bethnal Green Montessori, Forest School and the City of London School for Girls, and took weekly drama classes at the Sylvia Young Theatre School while training with the Young Actors Theatre Islington.
Purnell has three younger half-brothers from her mother’s second marriage and spent part of her childhood working in performance and commercial work, including appearing in a Croatian commercial at age eight. At 18 she briefly planned to pause acting to attend university and considered work as a children’s writer or teacher, but returned to the screen after being offered a role in Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
Path to Celebrity
Purnell’s professional stage break came at age 13 when she was cast in the 2009 production of Oliver! at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. While still performing in that production she was cast to play the younger version of Keira Knightley’s character in the film Never Let Me Go, marking her transition from stage to screen.
Early film roles included Ways to Live Forever and Intruders, and she was named by Screen International as one of its 10 UK Stars of Tomorrow in 2010. Those early screen credits established her as a young actor able to handle emotionally demanding material and period drama.
Ella Purnell Career
Early Career (2009–2013)
Purnell’s first notable professional work combined stage and screen. Her West End appearance in Oliver! led to film casting in Never Let Me Go (2010), followed by roles in Ways to Live Forever (2010) and Intruders (2011). Her performance work during this period showed an early aptitude for complex characters and dramatic material.
By 2013 Purnell had expanded into larger commercial features, appearing as Dolce in Kick-Ass 2. She also earned recognition at film festivals for her role in the independent film Wildlike, which helped broaden her profile beyond child and supporting roles.
Maleficent Breakthrough (2014–2016)
Purnell gained wider public recognition when she portrayed the teenage version of Angelina Jolie’s title character in Maleficent (2014). The role exposed her to global audiences and led to offers in both studio and auteur-driven projects.
After Maleficent she accepted a role in Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016), a part she cited as fulfilling a long-standing desire to work with Burton. That period marked a move toward higher-profile directors and genre work, and established Purnell as a performer comfortable in both fantasy and period drama.
Television and Streaming Breakthrough (2018–Present)
Purnell expanded her television work with roles in Ordeal by Innocence (2018) and the Starz series Sweetbitter (2018). She continued to appear in period projects such as Belgravia in 2020 and the historical drama Churchill in 2017, demonstrating range across contemporary and historical material.
From 2021 she became more prominent on streaming platforms, starring as Jackie Taylor in the Showtime drama Yellowjackets and supplying voice work in acclaimed animated series, voicing Jinx in Arcane and Gwyn in Star Trek: Prodigy. She also appeared in Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead in 2021, further increasing her visibility in genre projects.
Current Era (2024–Present)
In 2024 Purnell moved into leading roles on major streaming projects, starring as Lucy MacLean in the Amazon Prime Video series Fallout and in the dark comedy series Sweetpea, for which she also served as an executive producer. Both projects garnered critical attention and positioned her as a lead performer and creative contributor in television production.
She divides her time between London and Los Angeles and remains active in both film and television work while continuing voice acting on animated projects. Her ongoing presence in high-profile streaming series has broadened her audience internationally.
Acting Style and Strengths
Purnell’s acting style is marked by emotional accessibility and a willingness to inhabit disparate genres, from period drama to fantasy and horror. Her vocal work demonstrates strong character work and adaptability, while her early stage training underpins disciplined performances and an ability to shift between supporting and lead roles.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones include her West End debut in Oliver!, Screen International recognition as a UK Star of Tomorrow, the breakthrough in Maleficent, and prominent roles in Yellowjackets, Arcane and Fallout. Her move into executive producing on Sweetpea marked a notable expansion of her creative responsibilities.
Ella Purnell Career Wins
Purnell’s career highlights span film, television and voice performance, with early acclaim for Never Let Me Go and festival recognition for Wildlike, a major studio breakthrough in Maleficent and a sustained presence in prestige television and streaming projects through the 2020s.
Film Highlights
Her first widely seen film credit was Never Let Me Go (2010), in which she played a young version of a lead character, followed by supporting roles in Intruders and Ways to Live Forever. Maleficent (2014) served as her mainstream studio breakthrough, and later projects such as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Army of the Dead expanded her genre credentials.
Television and Voice Highlights
Purnell’s television work includes Ordeal by Innocence, Belgravia and Sweetbitter, while her role as Jackie Taylor in Yellowjackets has been one of her most prominent dramatic television performances. Her voice acting as Jinx in Arcane and Gwyn in Star Trek: Prodigy demonstrated a parallel career path in animation and games adaptation.
Other Wins & Perfromances
Festival praise for Wildlike and inclusion on industry lists such as Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow are among the critical recognitions that marked her early career, supporting a steady trajectory into lead roles and production credits.
Ella Purnell Family
Family Background and Lineage
Purnell was raised in east London and has three younger half-brothers from her mother’s second marriage. Public details about her parents are limited in available sources.
Personal Life
As of the available record, Purnell has been in a relationship with Max Bennett Kelly since 2022 and divides her time between London and Los Angeles. She plays piano and enjoys scuba diving, and has spoken publicly about wanting to use her platform to advocate for diversity and awareness on social issues.
2025 Season Performance
Entering 2025 Purnell carries momentum from leading roles in Fallout and Sweetpea and ongoing voice work in major animated series. Her credits through 2024 show a balance of on-screen performance and producing responsibilities that position her to continue working across film, television and voice projects.
Her established presence on streaming platforms and continued casting in genre and period roles suggest ongoing visibility in both UK and international productions, with a career trajectory that now includes creative producing alongside acting.