Ella Maisy Purvis
English actress (born June 2, 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ella Maisy Purvis (born 2 June 2003) is an English actress. On television, she is known for her roles in the CBBC series A Kind of Spark (2023–2024) and the Channel 4 series Patience (2025–).
Ella Maisy Purvis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 June 2003 London, England |
| Education | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2022–present |
Early life and education
Ella Maisy Purvis was born on June 2, 2003, in South London to an urban planner mother and a business coach father.[1]
She trained as a classical ballet dancer before pursuing acting as a career.[2] She studied acting at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[3]
She was diagnosed with autism at the age of 17 and has said the diagnosis helped her; with it, life became "a lot easier to navigate because you don’t blame yourself".[4]
Career
Purvis had television roles in Heartstopper and in A Kind of Spark.[5] In 2024, she was nominated for The Breakthrough Award by the Northern Ireland Royal Television Society for her work on A Kind of Spark.[6]
In 2025, she appeared in her first lead role in Channel 4 crime drama Patience, in which she plays a crime-solving neurodivergent police archivist named Patience Evans alongside a detective, Bea Metcalfe (Laura Fraser).[7] Carol Midgely in The Times said that Purvis does not "overact" the character's condition, "showing it in overt and subtle ways".[8] Purvis herself is autistic and has ADHD, which she was quoted as saying could "bring a level of authenticity to the narrative that would otherwise be lacking, which just makes for a more engaging and meaningful story".[9] The series was renewed for a second season.[10]
Purvis featured in the 2025 reboot of crime drama Bergerac, and has a role in romantic comedy film Finding Emily.[11]
Filmography
| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Heartstopper | Girl 1 | Series 1; episode 4: "Secret" |
| 2023 | Malpractice | Josephine Paige | Episode 2 |
| Blueprint | Cass | Short film | |
| 2023–2024 | A Kind of Spark | Elinor Fraser / Bonnie Bridges | Series 1 & 2; 19 episodes |
| 2025-present | Patience | Patience Evans | Lead role; 14 episodes |
| 2025 | Bergerac | Sophie Armstrong | Series 1; episode 4 |
| 2026 | Finding Emily † | Meg | Post-production |