Details
Alternate Names: Tessa Lynne Thompson, Τέσσα Τόμπσον, 蒂莎·湯普森
Physical Characteristics: N/A
Career
First Appearances: - When a Stranger Calls (2006) as Scarlet
Most Important Roles: - When a Stranger Calls (2006) as Scarlet
- The Initiation of Sarah (2006) as Esme
- Make It Happen (2008) as Dana
- The Listener (2024) as Beth
- For Colored Girls (2010) as Nyla / Purple
- Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising (2022) as Self
- Dear White People (2014) as Samantha White
- Murder on the 13th Floor (2012) as Nia Palmer
Career Highlights: - When a Stranger Calls (2006)
- The Initiation of Sarah (2006)
- Make It Happen (2008)
- The Listener (2024)
- For Colored Girls (2010)
- Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising (2022)
- Dear White People (2014)
- Murder on the 13th Floor (2012)
Awards
Awards: - Nominated for 1 Saturn Award - Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series (2021)
- Nominated for 1 Saturn Award - Best Supporting Actress (2018)
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award - Best Leading Actress (2022)
- Nominated for 1 EE Rising Star Award (2018)
- Nominated for 1 Critics Choice Award - Best Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie Made for Television (2021)
- Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Television Movie (2021)
- Nominated for 1 Gotham Independent Film Award - Outstanding Lead Performance (2021)
- Won Gotham Independent Film Award - Breakthrough Actor (2014)
- Won Breakthrough Performer (2015)
- Nominated for 1 Image Award - Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (2022)
- Nominated for 1 Image Award - Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special (2021)
- Nominated for 1 Image Award - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (2018)
- Won Image Award - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (2016)
- Nominated for 1 Image Award - Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (2015)
- Nominated for 1 People's Choice Award - Favorite Female Movie Star (2019)
- Nominated for 1 Teen Choice Award - Choice Action Movie Actress (2019)
- Nominated for 1 Teen Choice Award - Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi (2018)
- Nominated for 1 Teen Choice Award - Choice Movie Actress: Drama (2016)
- Nominated for 1 Empire Award - Best Female Newcomer (2018)
- Won Grand Jury Prize - Best Actor (2009)
Full Biography
Tessa Lynne Thompson (born October 3, 1983) is an American actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. She began her professional acting career with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company while studying at Santa Monica College. She appeared in productions of The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet, the latter of which earned her a NAACP Theatre Award nomination. Her breakthrough came with leading roles in Tina Mabry's independent drama film Mississippi Damned (2009) and Tyler Perry's drama film For Colored Girls (2010).
Thompson was was raised between Los Angeles and Brooklyn, New York. Her father, singer-songwriter Marc Anthony Thompson, is of Afro-Panamanian descent and is the founder of the musical collective Chocolate Genius, Inc. Her mother has white and Mexican ancestry. She has a younger half-sister, Zsela, who is a singer and songwriter. Thompson attended Santa Monica High School, where she played Hermia in a student production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. She then attended Santa Monica College (SMC), where she studied cultural anthropology and is a member of the alma mater. While at SMC, she also attended lectures by Lisa Wolpe of the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company (LAWSC).
