Carla Jaran Jeffery (July 10, 1993 – September 1, 2026) was an American actress best known for playing the cheerleader Bree in Disney Channel's Zombies film franchise.
Contents
Early life
Jeffery was born in Houston, Texas on July 10, 1993. Her twin brother, Carlon Jeffery, also became an actor, appearing on Disney Channel's A.N.T. Farm as Cameron Parks. According to the Hindustan Times, Carlon's interest in music and entertainment reportedly helped inspire the family's move from Ohio to California, and Jeffery began taking acting classes as a child, initially alongside her twin brother, as a way to become more comfortable performing despite being naturally shy.
She joined Alexanders Talent Management at age 12 and remained with the agency for more than 20 years, until her death.
Career
Jeffery's first screen role was in the 2006 film Phat Girlz; she played a 10-year-old version of Mo'Nique's character. From 2007 to 2009, she had a recurring role as Keysha Black in HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, appearing for two seasons as part of the Black family, who move in with Larry David after Hurricane Katrina in the show's storyline. She also appeared in Nickelodeon's iCarly in 2008, and, according to ABC News, on Disney Channel's Good Luck Charlie in 2011 and Shake It Up the following year, as well as Scream Queens and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Other credits cited across sources include Southland and American Vandal.
In 2018, Jeffery was cast as Bree, an aspiring cheerleader and best friend of the character Addison, in Disney Channel's original film Zombies (2018). She reprised the role in the sequels Zombies 2 (2020) and Zombies 3 (2022), and voiced the character in the 2024 animated series Zombies: The Re-Animated Series.
Death
Jeffery died at her California home on September 1, 2026, at the age of 33. Her death was announced by her talent agency, Alexanders Talent Management, in a statement posted to her Instagram account. No cause of death was disclosed.
Tributes were shared by several of her Zombies co-stars, including Milo Manheim, who called her "the sweetest person I have ever met", and Chandler Kinney, who described her as "the brightest shining light in any room she walked into".
