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.
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".
Filmography Film Year Film Role Notes 2006 Phat Girlz Jazmin (age 10) Minor role 2014 Teacher of the Year Vondra 2015 Girl on the Edge Crystal 2016 Exchange Brijitte ( Brigitte) Protagonist 2018 Zombies Bree Main role 2020 Zombies 2 2022 Zombies 3
Television Year Title Role Notes 2007–2009 Curb Your Enthusiasm Keysha Black Recurring character; seasons 6–7 2008 Miss Guided Student Episode "High School Musical" iCarly Girl at Cheesecake Warehouse Episode "iWin a Date" 2009 Lie to Me Student Episode "Pilot" Southland Janila Episodes "Unknown Trouble", "Mozambique", "Westside", "Derailed" 2010 Men of a Certain Age Fran Episode "Back in the Sh*t" 2011 Good Luck Charlie Jean Episode "Baby's New Shoes" Torchwood Teenager Episode "The New World" 2012–2013 Shake It Up Margie Episodes "Spirit It Up", "Stress It Up" 2013 Super Fun Night Becky Episode "Pilot" 2014 Suburgatory Shira Episode "Catch and Release" 2015 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Super Cheery Camp Girl Episode "Josh Just Happens to Live Here!" 2016 Best Friends Whenever Karen Episode "A Time to Double Date" Uncle Buck Kiana Episode "I Got This" Scream Queens Frumpy Girl #3 Episode "Halloween Blues" 2017 American Vandal Sierra Sherrington Episodes "Hard Facts: Vandalism and Vulgarity", "A Limp Alibi", "Nailed", "Premature Theories" 2020 Game On: A Comedy Crossover Event Young Peaches Episode "Family Reunion: Remember the Family's Feud?" Spider-Man Mania (voice) Episode "Maximum Venom" 2023 Zombies: The Re-Animated Series Shorts Bree (voice) Voice role; episode "I Think We're a Clone Now" 2024–2026 Zombies: The Re-Animated Series Main voice role
Web Year Title Role Notes 2025 Spectrum Herself Episode "They Were Child Stars Here's What Happened Next"
Discography Songs Title Year Album "Fired Up" 2018 Zombies (Original TV Movie Soundtrack) "Flesh and Bone" 2020 Zombies 2 (Original TV Movie Soundtrack) "Flesh and Bone" [Soundtrack Version] "One for All" "Brighter With You" 2024 Zombies: The Re-Animated Series (Original Soundtrack)
Singles Title Year Album "We Got This" 2020 Zombies 2 (Original TV Movie Soundtrack) "Flesh & Bone/Someday Mashup" rowspan="2" "Flesh & Bone/Come On Out Mashup" 2022
Notes
References
External links
Carla Jeffery at Rotten Tomatoes