Ella Purnell is an English actress who has grown from a child star in the West End into one of the most in-demand leading ladies on streaming television. Born on 17 September 1996 in London, England, the 30-year-old first appeared on screen as a teenager in Never Let Me Go and Maleficent, and she now headlines three hit series at once: the video-game adaptation Fallout, the survival drama Yellowjackets and the dark comedy Sweetpea.
Ella Purnell Quick Facts
| Full Name | Ella Summer Reed Purnell |
| Date of Birth | 17 September 1996 |
| Age | 30 years old (as of 2026) |
| Birthplace | London, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years Active | 2009–present |
| Known For | Fallout (Lucy MacLean); Yellowjackets (Jackie Taylor); Arcane (Jinx) |
| Net Worth | Approx. $3 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2026) |
Who Is Ella Purnell?
Ella Purnell is an English actress whose career has been defined by an unusually early start and an unusually wide range. She made her stage debut at 13 in the West End production of Oliver! and her film debut the same year in Never Let Me Go, playing the younger version of Keira Knightley‘s character Ruth. Since then she has moved between film, television, voice acting and video games, with leading roles in Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016) and Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead (2021).
Purnell’s breakthrough as an adult star came in the 2020s, when she took on three very different leading roles almost at once: Jackie Taylor, the popular high school soccer captain, in Showtime’s survival drama Yellowjackets; Jinx, the voice of the troubled young enforcer in Netflix’s animated hit Arcane, for which she won an Annie Award; and Lucy MacLean, the vault dweller at the heart of Amazon’s Fallout, which became one of the most-watched series of 2024. In the same period she launched Sweetpea, a dark comedy in which she plays a serial killer and also serves as executive producer. Like Millie Bobby Brown, who also grew up on screen and now leads major streaming franchises, Purnell has moved from child actress to adult star without losing her audience.
Ella Purnell’s Early Life & Background
Ella Summer Reed Purnell was born on 17 September 1996 in Whitechapel, London, England, and grew up in Bethnal Green. She has three younger half-brothers from her mother’s second marriage. She was educated at Bethnal Green Montessori, Forest School and the City of London School for Girls, and she attended the Young Actors Theatre in Islington, taking weekly drama classes at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, where she studied acting, singing and dance.
Purnell began acting as a child, appearing at the age of eight in a television commercial for the chocolate brand Toffifee. At 13 she was cast in the West End production of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and she was soon cast as the younger Ruth in the film Never Let Me Go (2010). After school, at 18, she had planned to pause acting to go to university, with the idea of becoming a children’s writer or a teacher, but after a year travelling the world she returned to acting for Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
Ella Purnell’s Career
Purnell’s early film roles included Ways to Live Forever (2010), the horror film Intruders (2011) and the action sequel Kick-Ass 2 (2013). She won Best Actress at the Fargo Film Festival and the Brooklyn Film Festival for her performance in the independent drama Wildlike (2014), in which she played a teenager sent to live with her uncle in Alaska, and she played the teenage Maleficent in Disney’s Maleficent (2014), the younger version of Angelina Jolie’s character. In 2010 she was named one of Screen International‘s 10 UK Stars of Tomorrow. She took a break from acting after Maleficent, then returned with the lead role of Emma Bloom in Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016), followed by Churchill (2017) and the television film Cyberbully (2015).
On television, Purnell starred as Hester Argyll in the Agatha Christie adaptation Ordeal by Innocence (2018) and as Tess, a young woman trying to make it in New York’s restaurant world, in the Starz drama Sweetbitter (2018–2019). She played Lady Maria Grey in the period drama Belgravia (2020) and Kate Ward in Zack Snyder’s zombie heist film Army of the Dead (2021). Her career changed in 2021, when she took on two roles that would define her adult stardom: Jackie Taylor in Yellowjackets, the Showtime survival drama about a high school soccer team stranded in the wilderness, and Jinx in Netflix’s animated series Arcane, the voice role that won her an Annie Award.
In 2024 Purnell took the lead role of Lucy MacLean in Amazon’s Fallout, the television adaptation of the hit video game franchise, which became one of the most-watched series of the year and earned her a Rising Star Award at Canneseries and a nomination for Best Actress in a Streaming Drama Series. The same year she starred in and executive-produced Sweetpea, a dark comedy in which she plays Rhiannon Lewis, a wallflower who becomes a serial killer, and she voiced Gwyn in the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy (2021–2024). In 2026 she appeared as Lucy MacLean in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and she has the films The Scurry and The Return of Stanley Atwell in the works. She also co-launched the organisation Educate2Eradicate in 2016, which campaigns against honour-based violence and forced child marriage.
Facts About Ella Purnell
- Purnell made her stage debut at the age of 13 in the West End production of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
- She won an Annie Award for her voice performance as Jinx in Netflix’s animated series Arcane.
- She was named one of Screen International‘s 10 UK Stars of Tomorrow in 2010.
- She won Best Actress at the Fargo Film Festival and the Brooklyn Film Festival for her performance in the independent drama Wildlike (2014).
- In 2016 she co-launched Educate2Eradicate, an organisation that campaigns against honour-based violence and forced child marriage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Ella Purnell?
Ella Purnell is 30 years old. She was born on 17 September 1996 in London, England.
What is Ella Purnell’s net worth?
Ella Purnell’s net worth is approximately $3 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth (2026).
Who is Ella Purnell’s partner?
No current partner is publicly confirmed for Ella Purnell. She keeps her private life out of the public eye and divides her time between London and Los Angeles.
What is Ella Purnell best known for?
Ella Purnell is best known for playing Lucy MacLean in Amazon’s Fallout (2024–present), Jackie Taylor in Yellowjackets (2021–present) and Jinx, the voice role, in Netflix’s Arcane (2021–2024).
What is Ella Purnell doing now?
Ella Purnell stars in the second season of Fallout and the second season of Sweetpea (2026), and she continues to appear in Yellowjackets. She has the films The Scurry and The Return of Stanley Atwell in the works.
How old is Ella Purnell?
Ella Purnell is 30 years old. She was born on 17 September 1996 in London, England.
What is Ella Purnell’s net worth?
Ella Purnell’s net worth is approximately $3 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth (2026).
Who is Ella Purnell’s partner?
No current partner is publicly confirmed for Ella Purnell. She keeps her private life out of the public eye and divides her time between London and Los Angeles.
What is Ella Purnell best known for?
Ella Purnell is best known for playing Lucy MacLean in Amazon’s Fallout (2024–present), Jackie Taylor in Yellowjackets (2021–present) and Jinx, the voice role, in Netflix’s Arcane (2021–2024).
What is Ella Purnell doing now?
Ella Purnell stars in the second season of Fallout and the second season of Sweetpea (2026), and she continues to appear in Yellowjackets. She has the films The Scurry and The Return of Stanley Atwell in the works.
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