Tessa Thompson, in full Tessa Lynn Thompson, (born October 3, 1983, Los Angeles, California, U.S.), American actress and musician known for her dramatic sensibility in film and television. She is best known for her appearances in the films Selma (2014), Dear White People (2014), and Creed (2015) and in the television series Veronica Mars (2005–06) and Westworld (2016–22). She also portrayed the character Valkyrie in three films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thompson was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of Panamanian-American songwriter and musician Marc Anthony Thompson (of the musical collective Chocolate Genius) and visual artist Maciallah Thompson.