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Tessa Thompson
Thompson at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Tessa Lynne Thompson (1983-10-03) October 3, 1983 (age 41) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2002–present

Tessa Lynne Thompson (born October 3, 1983) is an American actress. In film, she starred as Nyla Adrose in the drama For Colored Girls (2010), civil rights activist Diane Nash in the historical drama Selma (2014), Bianca in the sports drama Creed (2015), and as Valkyrie in the superhero film Thor: Ragnarok (2017). On television, Thompson starred as Jackie Cook in the mystery drama Veronica Mars (2005–2006), Sara Freeman in the period crime drama Copper (2012–2013), and Charlotte Hale in the HBO science-fiction thriller series Westworld (2016–present).

Early life

Thompson was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised there and in Brooklyn, New York City. Her father, singer/songwriter Marc Anthony Thompson of the musical collective Chocolate Genius, Inc., is of Afro-Panamanian descent and her mother is of Euro-Mexican descent. She attended Santa Monica High School and then Santa Monica College, where she studied cultural anthropology.

Career

Theatre

In 2002, Thompson made her professional stage debut in Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company's production of The Tempest. In 2003, Thompson appeared as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet: Antebellum New Orleans, 1836 with The Theatre @ Boston Court in Pasadena, California, which earned her an NAACP Theatre Award nomination.

In 2016 she appeared in the off-Broadway run of the Lydia R. Diamond play Smart People at Second Stage Theatre, alongside Mahershala Ali, Joshua Jackson and Anne Son.

Television

Thompson made her first TV appearance in a 2005 episode of the CBS series Cold Case in the role of a bootlegging lesbian from the 1930s. In the same year, she rose to fame as she landed the role of Jackie Cook on the UPN/CW neo-noir drama series Veronica Mars, starring as a series regular for the show's second season. In 2006, she appeared on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. In 2007, she was a part of the cast on the CW's short-lived drama Hidden Palms, portraying Nikki Barnes. She worked on guest star roles on Life and Private Practice, and appeared in the fourth season of Heroes.

In 2010, she had a guest role as the wife of a detective on Detroit 187. In 2012, she had a guest role as Gavin Doran's daughter, Sasha, on 666 Park Avenue. In 2013, she starred in BBC America's first original series Copper. In 2016, she began a starring role in the HBO sci-fi drama series Westworld.

Film

Thompson's first feature film appearance was in the 2006 remake of the horror film When a Stranger Calls playing the role of Scarlet. Thompson was next seen opposite Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the dancing film Make it Happen in 2008.

In 2010, Thompson appeared in Tyler Perry's stage play adaptation For Colored Girls after she directly approached Perry to be cast in the film. In 2014, she starred in Justin Simien's Sundance winner Dear White People. That same year, Thompson played civil rights activist Diane Nash in Ava DuVernay's Martin Luther King, Jr. biopic Selma. In 2015, she appeared in Ryan Coogler's Rocky spin-off-sequel film Creed, and in Nate Ruess short film The Grand Romantic. In April 2016, Thompson was cast as Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok, which was released on November 3, 2017.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Accolades

References

1. "Tessa Thompson". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
2. ^ Thompson in Morgan, Kai (May 5, 2014). "Exclusive: Tessa Thompson on varied dreams and effecting change". EmbraceYouMagazine.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
3. ^ Zakarin, Jordan (December 29, 2014). "Tessa Thompson on Selma, Dear White People, and Her Breakthrough Year". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2017. ...a Panamanian father and half-Mexican, half-white mother. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
4. ^ Behrens, Deborah (July 11, 2012). "Tessa Thompson Returns to Shakespeare as Rosalind". @ This Stage (LA Stage Alliance). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
5. "Past Shows – Season 37". 2econdStageTheatre.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
6. Grigg-Spall, Holly (n.d.). "Tessa Thompson". IssueMagazine.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
7. Ruess, Nate. "The Grand Romantic Chapter 1 debut". Apple Music Connect.
8. Strom, Marc (May 20, 2016). "Marvel Studios Confirms Stellar New Cast Members of the Highly Anticipated 'Thor: Ragnarok'". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
9. Busch, Anita (April 11, 2016). "Tessa Thompson Joins The Marvel Universe In 'Thor: Ragnarok'". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
10. Jones, Alan. "When a Stranger Calls". Radio Times. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
11. ^ "Tessa Thompson". British Film Institute. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
12. ^ "Tessa Thompson". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
13. Goldberg, Lesley (July 21, 2016). "Netflix Sets Cast for 'Dear White People' TV Series". The Hollywood Reporter.
14. Obenson, Tambay A. (February 2, 2015). "MarVista to Release Coming of Age Road Tripper 'Grantham & Rose' (Marla Gibbs, Tessa Thompson, Jake T. Austin)". IndieWire.
15. ^ Robinson, Joanna (November 1, 2017). "Tessa Thompson on a Decade Defying On-Screen Stereotypes". Vanity Fair.
16. Busch, Anita (June 15, 2017). "Tessa Thompson, Lakeith Stanfield, Steven Yeun To Star In 'Sorry To Bother You'". Deadline.com.
17. "Cold Case". Radio Times. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
18. "2009 Winners". American Black Film Festival. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
19. "Winners > 2011". Black Reel Awards. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
20. "2014 Gotham Awards: Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
21. "NAACP Image Awards 2015: Full list of nominees and winners". Los Angeles Times. February 6, 2015. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
22. "And The Nominees Are..." Black Reel Awards. December 17, 2014. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
23. "Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry and Ava Duvernay Lead an All-Star Line Up at the African American Film Critics Association Award Show". 2015 Winners. African-American Film Critics Association. February 5, 2015. Archived from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
24. Goodman, Jessica (July 31, 2016). "Teen Choice Awards 2016: See the full list of winners". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved August 31, 2017.

External links

• Tessa Thompson at IMDb

• 1983 births
• 21st-century American actresses
• American actresses
• American actresses of Mexican descent
• American film actresses
• American stage actresses
• American television actresses
• American Shakespearean actresses
• Actresses from Los Angeles
• American people of Panamanian descent
• American people of Mexican descent
• American people of European descent
• Hispanic and Latino American actresses
• Living people
• Santa Monica College alumni