Ella Purnell

Ella Summer Purnell was born in the Whitechapel area of London, England, United Kingdom. She grew up in Bethnal Green area of her hometown. She attended Bethnal Green Montessori, Forest School, the City of London School for Girls, and the Young Actors Theatre Islington. She also attended weekly classes at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, studying acting, singing, and dance, and was represented by their in-house talent agency.

Upon finishing high school at 18, Purnell intended to put a pause on her acting career, winning a place at university with the intention of becoming a children's writer or teacher. She decided to travel the world for a year to "find herself" and was subsequently offered a role in Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As it had been her dream to work with Burton, she accepted. Purnell described her decision to defer university as "bittersweet at first because it felt like a lost opportunity of a different path in life," but looking back, she was glad she continued acting.