|
Bio
Dubbed early in her career as the next Shirley Temple, Ella Grace Helton is a tiny powerhouse of personality who engulfs those around her with infectious positive energy. By the age of 6, she already had a resumé diversified by roles in TV, film, commercials and Broadway, including series regular on a network sitcom.
Her favorite place to be is on set. The deep empath brings moving performances to screen and stage in both comedy and drama, but she connected with her "DNA funny" roots for her major motion picture debut. She henceforth will be part of Halloween tradition as Jessa Phillips (mini Harley Quinn), who banters with Adam Sandler’s on-screen hero Hubie Dubois in the Netflix feature film “Hubie Halloween.” Ella played the lovable and quirky Emily Ryan on "United We Fall,” co-produced by ABC and Sony. She had her first lead role in a feature film as the lively Lily in "Chosen Family," opposite Heather Graham, the films's writer, director and star. Audiences of the wildly popular Netflix drama "Sweet Magnolias" know Ella for her sweet turn as Katie Townsend in seasons 3 and 4. And her latest role is as Clara McConaughey, daughter of Oscar-winning legend of the screen Matthew McConaughey, in the new comedy series "Brothers" from AppleTV and Skydance. It's currently in production (spring 2025) in Texas. The little old soul has acted in 19 commercials, including for Disney, Marriott, Publix, Hasbro, Gerber, Orowheat (with John Stamos) and Comcast XFINITY (with Amy Poehler). In 2019, American Family Insurance highlighted Ella’s personal entrepreneurial story with her business, Ella Bella Beads, and her charitable efforts to combat child hunger — all while chatting with Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter. Ella has raised thousands of dollars and packed food weekly. Now 12, she also is a:
At age 10, Ella became the youngest ever recipient of the Sara Fuller Scholarship in 2023, courtesy of Film Florida/Women in Film and Television Florida. Ella was beyond grateful for that extreme honor, given that the award had always been awarded to a high school student, and for all the support from her professional associations and the people she meets along this journey. The Renaissance kid revealed with her earliest expressions that she was born to entertain and officially started that journey in musical theater at age 2. She had her Broadway debut at age 5, as Lulu in The Broadway Tour of Waitress. Ella's life is filled with diverse exposure to the arts and activities beyond acting. At age 8, she began selling her pastel fine art drawings at farmers markets, and she launched her online art store shortly after turning 9. That same year, she became the youngest ever member of Brevard Cultural Alliance, and had her art juried and approved to appear in the Art in Public Places program. --> Click here to read more about Ella's journey as an artist. --> Click here to visit Ella's art shop. She has always loved various dance styles and in 2022, fell in love with ballroom dancing — always ready to cha cha, samba, rumba, jive and paso doble. She brought home awards from her first competition, just three months after trying her first ballroom class. Ella also is a powerful singer who expresses herself with piano, guitar and songwriting, and she enjoys singing the national anthem at local fundraising events. She additionally feeds her creative brain with designing her own jewelry line, learning American Sign Language, building LEGOs and playing video games. She loves creating aerial routines on the silks, inline skating, mountain biking, yoga, and rock climbing. Good luck getting her out of a swimming pool. On any given day, Ella will say she wants to be a zookeeper or become president so she can eradicate homelessness and help people, but she gets her greatest satisfaction in front of a lens or on a stage entertaining audiences. |
CLICK HERE to follow more of Ella's adventures — her professional journey, unique dance moves (ever seen "possessed spaghetti?"), British accented comedy characters, shenanigans and life as a kid — on Instagram.
CLICK HERE to check out Ella's IMDb page.
