Tessa Lynne Thompson is an American actress. She began her professional acting career with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company while studying at Santa Monica College, appearing in productions of The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet. Following her role in Veronica Mars, her breakthrough came with leading roles in Tina Mabry's independent drama film Mississippi Damned and Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls.
Thompson gained favorable notices for roles in the comedy-drama Dear White People, and as civil rights activist Diane Nash in Ava DuVernay's historical drama Selma. She gained mainstream attention for her roles in franchise films, playing Bianca Taylor in the sports dramas Creed, Creed II and Creed III, and as Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films, including Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder, as well as her leading role in Men in Black: International. She starred in the independent films Sorry to Bother You and Annihilation, and received Emmy and BAFTA nominations for Sylvie's Love, and Passing, respectively. Further television roles include the drama series Copper, and the science fiction series Westworld.