30 Facts About Tessa Thompson

Tessa Lynne Thompson was born on October 3,1983 and is an American actress.

Tessa Thompson began her professional acting career with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company while studying at Santa Monica College.

Tessa Thompson appeared in productions of The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet, the latter of which earned her a NAACP Theatre Award nomination.

Tessa Thompson's breakthrough came with leading roles in Tina Mabry's independent drama film Mississippi Damned and Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls, an adaptation of the 1976 play of the same name.

Tessa Thompson gained mainstream attention for her roles in franchise films, playing Bianca Taylor in the sports dramas Creed, Creed II and Creed III, and as Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame, and Thor: Love and Thunder, as well as her leading role in Men in Black: International.

Tessa Thompson has received acclaim for her roles in the independent films Sorry to Bother You, Little Woods, Annihilation, Sylvie's Love, and Passing, the latter of which earned her a BAFTA Award for Best Actress nomination.

Tessa Thompson received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her work as a producer on Sylvie's Love.

Tessa Thompson was born on October 3,1983, in Los Angeles, California and raised between Los Angeles and Brooklyn, New York.

Tessa Thompson's younger paternal half-sister, Zsela, is a singer and songwriter.

Tessa Thompson attended Santa Monica High School where she played Hermia in a student production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and attended Santa Monica College where she studied cultural anthropology.

In 2002, Tessa Thompson made her professional stage debut as one of three actors portraying the role of Ariel in LAWSC's production of The Tempest.

Tessa Thompson made her first television appearance in a 2005 episode of the CBS crime drama series Cold Case in the role of a lesbian bootlegger from the 1930s.

Tessa Thompson was next seen opposite Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the dance film Make it Happen in 2008.

Tessa Thompson worked on guest star roles on the television series Life and Private Practice, and appeared in season four of Heroes.

In 2010, Tessa Thompson appeared in Tyler Perry's stage play adaptation For Colored Girls, after she directly approached Perry to be cast in the film.

In 2012, Tessa Thompson had a guest role as Gavin Doran's daughter, Sasha, on the horror series 666 Park Avenue.

That same year, Tessa Thompson played civil rights activist Diane Nash in Ava DuVernay's Martin Luther King Jr.

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

Tessa Thompson appeared in the science fiction horror film Annihilation, which was released on February 23,2018.

In June 2017, Tessa Thompson was cast in the science fiction comedy Sorry to Bother You, which was released on July 6,2018.

Tessa Thompson reprised her role as Bianca Taylor in the sports drama sequel film Creed II, which was released on November 21,2018, to positive reviews and strong box office returns.

Tessa Thompson reprised her role as Valkryie in the superhero film Avengers: Endgame, which was released on April 26,2019.

Tessa Thompson starred as Agent M in the Men in Black spin-off film, Men in Black: International, opposite Chris Hemsworth, her co-star from Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame.

Tessa Thompson co-produced and voiced the lead role in the mystery sci-fi podcast series The Left Right Game, which was released in 2020.

In October 2021, Tessa Thompson wrapped production on drama film The Listener, directed by Steve Buscemi.

Tessa Thompson is reportedly the only on-screen role in the film.

Tessa Thompson reprised her role as Bianca Taylor in the sport drama sequel Creed III.

Tessa Thompson is a singer-songwriter who previously collaborated with the Los Angeles-based indie electro soul group, Caught A Ghost.

Tessa Thompson made significant contributions to the soundtracks of Creed and Creed II by co-writing and performing multiple songs with producer Moses Sumney.

Tessa Thompson revealed in June 2018 that she is attracted to both men and women, but chooses not to label herself bisexual.