Ella Bright (born November 27, 2006) is a British-American actress and singer. She began acting as a child. For her performance in the CBBC adaptation of Malory Towers (2020–2025), she received Children's BAFTA and Emmy Award nominations. She has since starred in the Prime Video series Off Campus (2026–present).

Ella Bright
Born (2006-11-27) 27 November 2006 (age 19)
New York City, U.S.
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
OccupationActress
Years active2015–present

Early life

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Ella Bright was born on 27 November 2006 in New York City and grew up in North London. Her father is from Oklahoma, and her mother is from California.[1][2] She holds dual British and American citizenship.[3] Bright attended South Hampstead High School and completed her A Levels in 2025.[4] As a child, she took performing arts classes in acting, singing, and dance.[5]

Career

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Bright made her television debut in a 2015 episode of the TNT crime drama Legends. She made her West End debut in 2017 as Lily Potter Jr. in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre. In 2018, Bright made her feature film debut in the mystery comedy Holmes & Watson.[6][7][8][9][10]

In 2020, Bright began starring as Darrell Rivers in the CBBC adaptation of Malory Towers, based on the books by Enid Blyton.[11] For her performance, she received a nomination for the British Academy Children's Awards Young Performer award in 2022[12] and nominations for Outstanding Lead Performer at the Children's and Family Emmy Awards in 2023 and 2024.[13][14]

Bright portrayed young Catherine Middleton in an episode of the final season of the Netflix historical drama The Crown in 2023, appearing in a fictional flashback in which the future Princess of Wales meets her future mother-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales (portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki).[15]

In 2025, Bright was cast as Hannah Wells in the Amazon Prime series Off Campus, an adaptation of the novel series by Elle Kennedy.[16][17]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2018 Holmes & Watson Bridgette

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2015 Legends Clarissa Graves Episode: "The Legend of Terrence Graves"
2020–2025 Malory Towers Darrell Rivers Main role; 93 episodes
2022 Christmas at Malory Towers Television special
2023 The Crown Young Kate Middleton Episode: "Alma Mater"
2026–present Off Campus Hannah Wells Main role; 8 episodes

Video game

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Year Title Role Notes
2024 Malory Towers: Secret Diary Adventure Darrell Rivers

Podcast

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Year Title Role Notes
2021 Tales from Malory Towers Darrell Rivers 10 episodes

Discography

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Charted songs

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List of charted songs, with year released, selected chart positions, and album name shown
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
NZ
Hot

[18]
"Baby Now That I Found You" 2026 17 Off Campus: The Mixtape
"Girl That I Am" 28

Awards and nominations

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Award Year Category Work Result Ref.
British Academy Children's Awards 2022 Young Performer Malory Towers Nominated [12]
Children's and Family Emmy Awards 2023 Outstanding Lead Performer Nominated [13]
2024 Nominated [14]

References

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  1. Wickes, Hanna (8 May 2025). "Ella Bright Is Hannah Wells In 'Off Campus': Meet the Actress". J-14. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  2. Baker, Jessica (11 May 2026). "Introducing Ella Bright, TV's Next Breakout Star". Who What Wear. Archived from the original on 12 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  3. Prance, Sam (13 May 2026). "Who plays Hannah in Off Campus?". Capital FM. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  4. "Inspirational Alumnae: Ella Bright, Actor". South Hampstead High School. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  5. "Meet Ella Bright, who plays Hannah Wells in Amazon Prime Video's Off Campus". South China Morning Post. 2026-05-15. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  6. "Ella Bright". TresA Magazine. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  7. Comiter, Jordana (30 July 2025). "Off Campus TV Series: What We Know About the Adaptation of Elle Kennedy's Best-Selling Novels (Including the Cast!)". People. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  8. "The Legend of Terrence Graves - Guest Cast | TVmaze". www.tvmaze.com. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  9. "Ella Bright". TresA. 2020-10-20. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  10. "Holmes & Watson". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-23. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  11. "Interview with Ella Bright". BBC Media Centre. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  12. 1 2 Ramachandran, Naman (25 October 2022). "'Dodger,' 'The Snail and the Whale' Lead BAFTA Children and Young People Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  13. 1 2 Coates, Tyler (2 November 2023). "Children's & Family Emmy Awards: Disney Dominates Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  14. 1 2 Schneider, Michael (12 December 2024). "Children's & Family Emmys 2024 Nominations: 'Percy Jackson,' 'Sesame Street,' 'Spiderwick Chronicles' Lead; Ceremony Moves to March". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  15. Barr, Sabrina (14 December 2023). "Princess Diana and Kate Middleton never met – but The Crown rewrites history with faked scene". Metro. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  16. Perlmutter, Rebecca (18 October 2025). "'Off Campus': Who Is Playing Hannah Wells? Ella Bright Takes Center Stage". TV Insider. Retrieved 10 November 2025.(subscription required)
  17. "Meet Ella Bright, who plays Hannah Wells in Amazon Prime Video's Off Campus". South China Morning Post. 2026-05-15. Archived from the original on 2026-05-15. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  18. "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 22 May 2026. Archived from the original on 23 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
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