Shannon Purser

Purser was born on June 27, 1997, in Atlanta, Georgia.^[1][5] In 2016, Purser was attending Kennesaw State University. She formerly worked at a movie theater in her hometown of Roswell, Georgia,^[6] but quit in order to focus on acting.^[7]

Purser made her acting debut in the Netflix science fiction drama series Stranger Things. She portrayed the character Barbara Holland, an intelligent and outspoken girl, who is the best friend of Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer). Despite her only being a minor character, several outlets called Barb one of their favorite characters.^[8][9] This role brought Purser to international fame,^[10][11] and earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.^[12]

Purser portrays Ethel Muggs in The CW's teen drama series Riverdale.^[13] In 2018, she played the titular role in the film Sierra Burgess Is a Loser.^[14] She had a minor role in the comedy film Life of the Party, which ended up being cut.^[3] Purser played Annabelle Bowman, a member of the drama troupe at Stanton High, in the drama Rise, and read the audiobook of Leah on the Offbeat.

Purser is an amateur visual artist and musician. She has spoken about living with obsessive compulsive disorder,^[15] and regularly advocates for mental health and anxiety-awareness.^[5] In 2017, Purser came out as bisexual.^[16]