Tessa Thompson is an American actress. She is known for her complex and varied roles spanning genres ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to independent film. Thompson has received nominations from several organizations including for two BAFTA Awards, two Critics' Choice Awards, an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as well as wins for a Gotham Award and an NAACP Image Award.
Thompson gained critical attention and praise for her early film role as a passionate student in the comedy-drama Dear White People (2014) for which she won the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Performer. That same year she portrayed civil rights activist Diane Nash in the Ava DuVernay directed historical drama Selma (2014) for which she was nominated alongside the cast for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble. Thompson was also nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2017. She portrayed a Black woman navigating complex emotional and social terrain in 1920s Harlem in the Rebecca Hall directed Netflix period drama Passing (2021). The role earned her nominations for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and the Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Lead Performance.
She gained mainstream attention for her roles in franchise films playing Bianca Taylor in the sports drama films Creed (2015), Creed II (2018) and Creed III (2023) as well as for her starring role as Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), as well as her leading role in the science fiction franchise film Men in Black: International (2019). During this time she also starred in the independent films Sorry to Bother You (2018), Little Woods (2018), and Annihilation (2018).
On television, she played the dual role of Charlotte Hale / Dolores Abernathy in the HBO dystopian science fiction series Westworld (2016–2022), for which she was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television. She also portrayed the romantic lead in the Amazon Studios romance drama Sylvie's Love (2020), with her performance receiving a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries. As a producer on the film, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.
Major associations BAFTA Awards Year Category Nominated work Result British Academy Film Awards 2017Rising Star 2021 Best Actress in a Leading Role Passing
Critics Choice Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Critics Choice Movie Awards 2014 Best Acting Ensemble Selma Critics' Choice Television Awards 2021 Best Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie Sylvie's Love Celebration of Cinema and Television 2025 Actress Award – Film Hedda
Emmy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Primetime Emmy Awards 2021 Outstanding Television Movie Sylvie's Love
Golden Globe Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2026 Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Hedda
Critics associations Organizations Year Category Work Result African-American Film Critics Association 2014 Breakthrough Performance Dear White People 2015 Best Supporting Actress Creed 2025 Best Actress Hedda Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2021 Breakthrough Performance Passing Dorian Awards 2021 Film Performance of the Year Passing 2026 Hedda LBTQ Film of the Year (as producer) GALECA LGBTQIA+ Film Trailblazer Herself Georgia Film Critics Association 2015 Breakthrough Award Herself New York Film Critics Online Awards 2021 Best Actress Passing Online Association of Female Film Critics 2021 Best Actress Passing San Diego Film Critics Society 2014 Best Ensemble Selma Savannah Film Festival2025Distinguished Performance AwardHedda Women Film Critics Circle Awards 2021 Best Screen Couple Passing Washington D.C. Film Critics Awards 2014 Best Ensemble Selma 2021 Best Actress Passing
Miscellaneous awards Organizations Year Category Work Result American Black Film Festival 2009 Best Actor Mississippi Damned Astra Film Awards 2026 Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Hedda Black Reel Movie Awards 2011 Outstanding Breakthrough Performance For Colored Girls 2015 Outstanding Actress Dear White People 2016 Outstanding Supporting Actress Creed 2018 Thor: Ragnarok 2022 Outstanding Actress Passing 2026 Outstanding Lead Performance Hedda Black Reel Awards for Television 2018 Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama Series Westworld 2021 Outstanding Actress Sylvie's Love 2026 Outstanding Lead Performance in a Limited Series or TV Movie His & Hers Empire Awards 2018 Best Female Newcomer Thor: Ragnarok Fargo Film Festival 2019 Best Actress Little Woods Gotham Awards 2014 Breakthrough Actor Dear White People 2021 Outstanding Lead Performance Passing 2025 Hedda Spotlight Tribute Award Herself Hamptons International Film Festival 2015 Breakthrough Performer Selma Independent Spirit Awards 2025 Best Lead Performer Hedda NAACP Image Awards 2014 Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Dear White People 2016 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Creed 2018 Thor: Ragnarok 2021 Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie or Limited-Series Sylvie's Love 2022 Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Passing 2026 Hedda People's Choice Awards 2019 Favorite Female Movie Star Men in Black: International Saturn Awards 2018 Best Supporting Actress Thor: Ragnarok 2021 Best Supporting Actress on a Television Series Westworld Teen Choice Awards 2016 Choice Movie Actress: Drama Creed 2018 Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi Westworld 2019 Choice Action Movie Actress Men in Black: International
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