Ella Purnell

Acting

Ella Purnell

Born 1996-09-17 · Whitechapel, London, England, UK

Ella Summer Reed Purnell (born 17 September 1996) is an English actress who began her career as a child actress in West End theatre. Purnell used to attend weekly classes at Sylvia Young Theatre School studying acting, singing, and dance. Purnell's film roles include Never Let Me Go (2010), Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), Churchill (2017), and Army of the Dead (2021), among others. Her television credits include Sweetbitter (2018), Belgravia (2020), Yellowjackets (2021), Arcane (2021), Star Trek: Prodigy (2021), and Fallout (2024).

Acting credits

Maleficent poster
7.1

A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. She rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal – an act that begins to turn her heart into stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading King's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom – and to Maleficent's true happiness as well.

Maleficent

2014

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children poster
6.8

A teenager finds himself transported to an island where he must help protect a group of orphans with special powers from creatures intent on destroying them.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

2016

The Legend of Tarzan poster
5.9

Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.

The Legend of Tarzan

2016

Kick-Ass 2 poster
6.4

After Kick-Ass' insane bravery inspires a new wave of self-made masked crusaders, he joins a patrol led by the Colonel Stars and Stripes. When these amateur superheroes are hunted down by Red Mist — reborn as The Mother Fucker — only the blade-wielding Hit-Girl can prevent their annihilation.

Kick-Ass 2

2013

Army of the Dead poster
6.2

Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble: venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.

Army of the Dead

2021

Never Let Me Go poster
6.9

As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy spend their childhood at an idyllic and secluded English boarding school. As they grow into adults, they must come to terms with the complexity and strength of their love for one another while also preparing for the haunting reality awaiting them.

Never Let Me Go

2010

Cyberbully poster
6.4

A chilling real-time thriller featuring a teenager, Casey, battling with an anonymous cyber-stalker.

Cyberbully

2015

Intruders poster
5.5

Though no one can see him, Hollow Face lurks in the corners, desperately desiring love but only knowing how to spread fear and hate. He creeps into the life of John Farrow after Farrow’s beloved 12-year-old daughter Mia is assaulted in their home. The line between the real and the imaginary blurs as fissures start to open within the family unit. It seems that no security measure can keep Hollow Face out.

Intruders

2011

UFO poster
6.9

A college student, who sees a UFO, uses his exceptional math skills to investigate the sighting with his friends while the FBI follows closely behind.

UFO

2018

ViQueens poster
NR

Fearless Viking girls Ingrid and Hedvig defy tradition to return a stowaway boy to China. Their journey spans icy fjords, Byzantine intrigue, and the fabled Silk Road, blending Viking grit with ancient Chinese wisdom, unexpected alliances, and a touch of magic.

ViQueens

2026

Churchill poster
6.2

A ticking-clock thriller following Winston Churchill in the 24 hours before D-Day.

Churchill

2017

Candy poster
6.2

Joe, a teenage suburban boy, meets and instantly falls in love with a seemingly innocent young girl from his home town who now lives in London. As their impromptu encounter continues, Joe realizes her situation is much darker then he could have imagined.

Candy

2011

Wildlike poster
6.2

Fourteen-year-old Mackenzie is sent to live with her uncle in Juneau when her mother can’t care for her anymore. The living situation quickly takes a turn for the worse, and she runs away to rejoin her mother in Seattle. While on her dangerous journey of sleeping in cars and breaking into hotel rooms, she’s drawn to Rene, a lonesome backpacker looking for tranquility in the wilderness.

Wildlike

2015

The Journey Is the Destination poster
6.3

The inspiring life story of the late photojournalist, artist and activist Dan Eldon, who abandoned a comfortable life in London to document the struggle, heartbreak and hope of a war-torn and famine-ridden region of Africa.

The Journey Is the Destination

2016

No artwork available
NR

True crime enthusiast Zoe is sent to summer camp, where she becomes convinced the head counselor is behind another's disappearance.

Hot Ted

Creating an Army of the Dead poster
6.0

Zack Snyder and his Army of the Dead team dive into the film's wild stunts, groundbreaking effects and the evolution of the zombie genre.

Creating an Army of the Dead

2021

Junk Male poster
6.0

Hollywood Thompson’s life reaches a new low after a fateful punch derails his championship boxing career.

Junk Male

2023

Ways to Live Forever poster
7.0

Sam loves facts. He wants to know about UFOs and horror movies and airships and ghosts and scientists, and how it feels to kiss a girl. And because he has leukemia he wants to know the facts about dying. Sam needs answers to the questions nobody will answer.

Ways to Live Forever

2010

The Scurry poster
NR

Chaos erupts at an eco-café when a horde of deranged squirrels seeks revenge on the staff and visitors, forcing two summoned pest controllers to face the onslaught.

The Scurry

No artwork available
NR

Follows a new couple that discovers their unborn child is destined to save the future of humanity. The only problem is they’ve just had their first date and now they hate each other.

That Time We Met

No artwork available
NR

Presumed dead heir to Lord Atwell’s title and fortune, Stanley Atwell unexpectedly returns to the family estate, having escaped a decade of mysterious captivity. His shocking reappearance causes chaos as his sister Beatrice fights to claim his inheritance, whilst close friend Pamela manipulates his puzzling return, and a dark family secret, in a bid to seize control of the Atwell fortune.

The Return of Stanley Atwell

Access All Areas poster
6.3

Four runaway teenagers are catapulted on a wild and uplifting road trip out of the city and across the water to a magical island music festival.

Access All Areas

2017

Right Place, Wrong Tim poster
6.4

Right Place, Wrong Tim follows the Bell family, a dynasty of clockmakers who run Dagenham’s infamous ‘Hells Bells’ clock shop, in Channel 4’s most successful Essex-set comedy since Jamie’s School Dinners. During a routine live taping, the cast of thespians are suddenly derailed by the entrance of a clone of Tim.

Right Place, Wrong Tim

2018

Toast poster
7.0

“Toast” is an exercise in shutting down the frontal lobe during the writing process in hopes of catching lightning in a bottle. A five-minute waterfall of automatic cadence about how we as humans argue and negotiate with ourselves every morning over the simple task of getting out of bed.

Toast

2023

Behind the camera