Biography

Ella A Thomas was born to an Eritrean mother and a US Air Force Officer who was stationed in the country at the time. Her parents moved to Germany while Ella was still an infant yet continued to return to Asmara frequently to visit family until the civil war made it unsafe for them to travel. The family lived off base in small town called Kindsbach, where Ella was enrolled in a German school, learning to speak both German and French fluently while her mother continued to teach her Tigrinya and English at home. Kindsbach was where she first discovered her love for performing, partaking in local theater and school productions. It wasn't until she was a teenager that her mother made a decision to move 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 BA in Biology. While a junior in High School a local modeling scout discovered Ella. She spent the next two summers traveling to New York and Paris but waited until graduation to pursue her career full time. She was represented by Elite and had been steadily working for a year when a severe accident forced her to reconsider her long-term goals. Ella opted to take a break and finish her degree. Three years later she moved back to New York and returned to the modeling world where Ella appeared in numerous international print ads for the Gap, L'Oreal, Tiffany & Co, and in editorials for magazines such as Elle, Glamour and Vogue and is still now represented by Wilhelmina Models. During this time she continued to travel back and forth to Los Angeles for print as well as commercial work. It was on one of these trips that she auditioned and booked her first role in the Artist View Film Disturbance. During this same trip she met Brenda Hampton, creator of 7th Heaven, at a charity event who at the time was looking for an East African actress for an upcoming episode. She booked Ella for a guest star spot off of family pictures with her in traditional Zuriya. She has found continued success in both film and television since then and has built a strong body of work with numerous roles ranging from starring opposite Zoe Saldana in Nina , Kyra Sedgewick on ABC's Ten Days in The Valley to Antoine Fuqua's drama series Ice, NCIS LA, Mistresses, 911 and many more. In 2023 she will star opposite Garrett Hedlund in "Desperation Road" directed by Nadine Crocker as well as the Marielle Heller directed "Nightbitch" helmed by Amy Adams.

- IMDb mini biography by: R Tesfy (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)

Ella A. Thomas is an Eritrean-American actress. When she was a young child the family moved from Eritrea to Germany. Returning home to Asmara two to three times a year throughout her childhood to visit family; shaped Ella's desire to always support the legacy of the country and empower the youth of her community. Germany is where she first discovered her love of performance, studying movement and dance, while partaking in local theater and school productions. As a teenager her family made the choice to settle in Connecticut where Ella attended both High School and College earning a BA in Biology. After years as a successful international print model with Wilhelmina; Ella made the decision to move to Los Angeles from New York and return to her earliest passion of acting. She has found continued success in both film and television and has built a strong body of work with numerous roles ranging from starring opposite Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, and Kyra Sedgewick on ABC's "Ten Days in The Valley" to Antoine Fuqua's drama series Ice, "NCIS LA", "Mistresses" and many more. Next she will appear opposite the Amy Adams helmed feature "Nightbitch" as well as having starred in "Desperation Road" opposite Garrett Hedlund and Mel Gibson. Her first indie film "Know Mercy" produced under her Roaring Queen Production banner will be released in the spring of 2025. Ella speaks three languages and sits on the council board of the Eritrean Diaspora Network. In addition to her work in film and television she supports the charitable organizations "Schools on Wheels" and "Harvest House. She lives in between Los Angeles and Florida with her Husband Ryan Krause and Son.

- IMDb mini biography by: Rusa Tesfay