Biografi Ella Purnell

Ella Purnell is a British actress born with the full name Ella Summer Purnell on the date September 17, 1996 in Whitechapel, east London. Currently 29 years old (as of February 2026), she has grown from a child actress in the West End to one of the most prominent stars on the screen and the big screen, especially through iconic roles in series such as Yellowjackets, Fallout, and Sweetpea. In 2025, he entered the list Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in the Entertainment category, recognizing his extraordinary career journey since adolescence.

Childhood and early career

Ella grew up in Bethnal Green, East London, in a middle-class family. It has Three Step Brothers (half-brothers) on his father's side, and often jokes that the youngest brother named Leon is a “family favorite” for being so funny—something he admitted in Vanity Fair's lie detector test. Ella began to show artistic talent from childhood; she joined the Sylvia Young Theatre School at the age of 9, studied acting, singing, and dance.

An interesting little-known fact: at the age of 11-12 (about 2008-2009), Ella auditioned for a musical Oliver! di Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London West End. It beats hundreds of other girls and was chosen as one of the few children who entered the children's ensemble. He stayed on the show for a whole year, which became the starting point for the “acting bug” for him.

His film Debut came quickly: at the age of 13, he played versi muda Keira Knightley di film sci-fi distopia Never Let Me Go (2010). This became the pattern of the beginning of her career—she was often chosen to play the young versions of the great Hollywood actresses:

• Young version Angelina Jolie in Maleficent (2014)
• Young version Margot Robbie in The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

Ella once joked in an interview that “there was a family joke that I would make a career out of playing someone else's younger version.”

At the age of 18, Ella had intended to quit acting to go to college and become a children's writer or teacher. He even took gap year traveling around the world to “find yourself”. However, the offer of Tim Burton to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016) making it back—because it was his big dream working with Burton.

Interesting facts that are rarely known

• Ella got distinctive large hazel eyes (called “doll-like eyes”), which often make her look innocent—the perfect contrast to dark roles like in Sweetpea.
• He had experienced anxiety and depression, and openly shared self-care messages with fans. He is also active as an ambassador Educate2Eradicate, melawan FGM, forced marriage, dan honor-based abuse.
• He is not very smart about makeup—to Sweetpea, she deliberately uses a lighter foundation to look “washed-out " and less confident.
• In early 2025, it turning off comments on Instagram (except close friends) and reduce social media activities because they want to live more privately—he said “my life no longer revolves only about work”.
• It has wild fox who lives in the garden of his house, and he often talks about it in casual interviews.
• Despite her huge success, Ella once said she chose “scary” and “risky” roles over easy ones—she turned down many offers similar to her previous roles.
• She had brand relationships with Prada Beauty, Miu Miu, and Chanel, but remained humble—fans sometimes compared her to the “UK version of Sydney Sweeney” because of her charm and fast-rising career.

Ella Purnell continues to prove herself as a versatile actress who dares to take risks, from child star to leading lady and producer. With projects like Fallout season 3 and Sweetpea season 2 is in sight, the future looks even brighter.