Ella Bright (born November 27, 2006) is an American-British 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).
Early life Ella Bright was born on November 27, 2006, in New York City and grew up in North London. Her father is from Oklahoma, and her mother is from California. She holds dual British and American citizenship. Bright attended South Hampstead High School and completed her A Levels in 2025. As a child, she took performing arts classes in acting, singing, and dance.
Career 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.
In 2020, Bright began starring as Darrell Rivers in the CBBC adaptation of Malory Towers, based on the books by Enid Blyton. For her performance, she received a nomination for the British Academy Children's Awards Young Performer award in 2022 and nominations for Outstanding Lead Performer at the Children's and Family Emmy Awards in 2023 and 2024.
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).
In 2025, Bright was cast as Hannah Wells in the Amazon Prime Video series Off Campus, an adaptation of the novel series by Elle Kennedy. On July 23, 2026, Bright released a duet version of "Baby Now That I Found You" with Irish singer Niall Horan; the song was taken from the Off Campus soundtrack.
In August 2026, Bright was reportedly cast as 'Diane' in the Indie film 'Gable' alongside Finn Cole, Ben Foster, Mireille Enos and Jake Picking.
In September 2026, Bright was cast in Sony Pictures' coming-of-age comedy ‘Narcs’ alongside Mason Thames. The movie is scheduled to be released in August 2027. Filmography
Film YearTitleRoleNotes2018Holmes & WatsonBridgetteTBAGableDianecurrently in post-production2027NarcsPre-production
Television 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 YearTitleRoleNotes2024Malory Towers: Secret Diary AdventureDarrell Rivers
Podcast YearTitleRoleNotes2021Tales from Malory TowersDarrell Rivers10 episodes
Discography Charted songs + List of charted songs, with year released, selected chart positions, and album name shown Title Year Peak chart positions Album NZHot "Cherry Pie": "Baby Now That I Found You" (with Niall Horan): "Baby Now That I Found You" 2026 17 Off Campus: The Mixtape "Girl That I Am" 28 "Cherry Pie" 19 rowspan="2" "Baby Now That I Found You" 30
Awards and nominations Award Year Category Work Result British Academy Children's Awards 2022 Young Performer Malory Towers Children's and Family Emmy Awards 2023 Outstanding Lead Performer 2024 Gold Derby TV Awards2026Best Drama ActressOff CampusBreakthrough Performer of the Year
References
External links
Ella Bright at Spotlight Ella Bright on Instagram