Tessa Thompson

Acting · Born 1983-10-03 in Los Angeles, California, USA

Biography

Tessa Lynne Thompson (born October 3, 1983) is an American actress. Known for her roles in both blockbusters and independent dramas, her accolades include nominations for two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Thompson began her professional acting career with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company while studying at Santa Monica College, acting in productions of The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet. She made her film debut in the horror film When a Stranger Calls (2006), followed by leading roles in the independent drama Mississippi Damned (2009) and Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls (2010). Thompson received favourable notices for roles in the comedy-drama Dear White People (2014) and as civil rights activist Diane Nash in Ava DuVernay's historical drama…

Filmography

• When a Stranger Calls as Scarlet
• The Initiation of Sarah as Esme
• Make It Happen as Dana
• The Listener as Beth
• For Colored Girls as Nyla / Purple
• Hedda as Hedda Gabler
• Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising as Self
• Dear White People as Samantha White
• Murder on the 13th Floor as Nia Palmer
• From Rocky to Creed: The Legacy Continues as Self