Carla Jeffery, who played Bree in Disney’s Zombies movies and 2024 animated series and earlier recurred on Curb Your Enthusiasm, died September 1. She was 33.
Her longtime reps at Alexanders Talent Management announced the news on social media but did not provide a cause or place of death.
“For more than 20 years, we had the privilege of watching her grow into a beautiful, vibrant, and incredibly talented woman whose radiant smile could light up any room,” Carla Alexander wrote on Instagram in part. “Carla was more than a client; she was family.” See the full post below.
Jeffery played Bree — an aspiring cheerleader at Seabrook High School who becomes friends with Addison (Meg Donnelly) — in the 2018 Disney Channel musical telefilm Zombies and would reprise the role in the 2020 and 2022 sequels. She also voiced the character in the 2024 Disney Channel toon Zombies: The Re-Animated Series.
Disney+/Everett Collection
Earlier she appeared in Larry David’s HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm, playing a member of the Black family who moves in with David after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The clan also included Leon (JB Smoove) and Loretta (Vivica A. Fox). Jeffery played Keysha Black in 10 episodes of the show’s sixth and seventh seasons from 2006-08.
Born on July 10, 1993, in Houston, Jeffery made her screen debut in the 2006 rom-com feature Phat Girlz, playing the 10-year-old version of Jazmin (Mo’Nique). She went on to guest in 2018 episodes of ABC’s Miss Guided, Disney Channel’s Best Friends Whenever, Nickelodeon’s iCarly and Fox’s Lie to Me. She also had an arc in the first season of NBC’s cop drama Southland as a key witness in an attempted murder case.
Before Jeffery landed her signature role in the Zombies franchise, the 2010s saw her continue to guest star on such series as Men of a Certain Age, Good Luck Charlie, Torchwood, Shake It Up, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Uncle Buck, Screen Queens and Suburgatory. She also recurred in the first season of Netflix’s mockumentary series American Vandal.
She also appeared in movies including Teacher of the Year (2014), Girl on the Edge (2015) and Exchange (2016) and voiced a character in a 2020 episode of Disney XD’s Marvel toon series Spider-Man.
Also with the three Zombies telepics and animated series, Jeffery played Bree in cast music videos for songs including “Flesh & Bone,” “Fired Up” and appeared in Donnelly’s video for “Impress.”
Her twin brother Carlon Jeffery also is an actor who co-starred in the 2011-13 Disney Channel sitcom A.N.T. Farm.
