Ella A Thomas was born to an Eritrean mother and a US Air Force Officer stationed in Eritrea at the time of her birth. Her parents relocated to Germany when she was still an infant, but they continued to visit their family in Asmara frequently until the civil war made travel unsafe.
Growing up in Kindsbach, Germany, Ella was enrolled in a local school where she developed fluency in German and French, while her mother taught her Tigrinya and English at home. It was in Kindsbach that she first discovered her passion for performing, participating in local theater and school productions.
As a teenager, her mother made the decision to relocate the family to the United States. By this time, her younger sister Angela had been born, and her parents had divorced. They settled in Connecticut, where Ella attended both high school and college, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology.
During her junior year of high school, a local modeling scout discovered Ella, leading her to spend the next two summers traveling to New York and Paris. However, she waited until graduation to pursue a career in modeling full-time, eventually signing with Elite and working steadily for a year before a severe accident forced her to reassess her long-term goals.
Ella opted to take a break and finish her degree, returning to the modeling world three years later. She continued to work internationally, appearing in numerous print ads for brands such as Gap, L'Oreal, and Tiffany & Co, as well as editorials in magazines like Elle, Glamour, and Vogue. She is currently represented by Wilhelmina Models.
In addition to her modeling career, Ella has also pursued acting, traveling to Los Angeles for print and commercial work. It was during one of these trips that she auditioned and booked her first role in the Artist View Film "Disturbance." She also met Brenda Hampton, creator of "7th Heaven," at a charity event, leading to a guest-star spot on the show.
Since then, Ella has continued to find success in both film and television, with a diverse range of roles including starring opposite Zoe Saldana in "Nina," Kyra Sedgewick on ABC's "Ten Days in The Valley," and Antoine Fuqua's drama series "Ice." Her other notable roles include "NCIS LA," "Mistresses," "9-1-1," and many more.
In 2023, Ella will star opposite Garrett Hedlund in "Desperation Road," directed by Nadine Crocker, as well as the Marielle Heller-directed "Nightbitch," helmed by Amy Adams.
