Carla Jeffery, the actress best known for playing cheerleader Bree across Disney’s Zombies film franchise, died Tuesday at 33. Her agent, Carla Alexander of Alexanders Talent Management, confirmed the death in a social media statement that did not disclose a cause or say where Carla Jeffery had died. Representatives said additional details would be shared in the coming days.
A Houston born career that started alongside her twin brother
Carla Jeffery was born in Houston on July 10, 1993, and moved to California with her family, where her twin brother Carlon began acting first. In past interviews, Carla Jeffery credited him with getting her into the industry, recalling that she was shy until she started attending acting classes alongside him and discovered how much she loved becoming other characters. The same agent who represented her brother went on to represent her as well, and Jeffery remained with that same management company for more than two decades.
From Curb Your Enthusiasm to Disney Channel
Carla Jeffery’s first film role came in the 2006 comedy Phat Girlz alongside Mo’Nique, when she was about 12 years old. She later landed a recurring role in the sixth season of Larry David’s HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, playing a child in a family displaced by Hurricane Katrina and taken in by David’s character.
She described the show’s heavily improvised format as intimidating for a child actor still figuring out when to speak up around adult performers, though she called David himself easy to work with. Carla Jeffery went on to make guest appearances on Disney Channel shows including Good Luck Charlie, Shake It Up and Best Friends Whenever.
Becoming Bree, and what the role meant to her
Carla Jeffery’s best known role arrived in 2018, when she was cast as Bree, best friend to lead character Addison, in the first Zombies film. She reprised the role in two sequels released in 2020 and 2022, and the franchise went on to log nearly 250 million streaming hours on Disney Plus. In a 2025 podcast interview, Carla Jeffery spoke about the responsibility she felt representing plus size Black women on screen and said she had never expected to become someone else’s inspiration.
Carla Jeffery described the moment that reality set in for her, seeing young Black girls dressed as Bree in officially licensed costumes, and said continuing to give young viewers someone to look up to was exactly what she wanted her career to keep doing.
Tributes from her family and Zombies co-stars
Carla Jeffery’s management agency described her on social media as a radiant, deeply talented presence they had watched grow up over more than 20 years, and asked that her family’s privacy be respected during this time. Her twin brother Carlon shared his own tribute alongside a video of his sister and a personal message he had once sent her, describing his pride in her resilience and telling her the light she carried needed to be protected.
Zombies castmates also paid tribute publicly. Chandler Kinney, who played Willa in the franchise, wrote that Carla Jeffery’s warmth on screen reflected who she actually was off screen, while Milo Manheim, who played Zed, shared photos of Carla Jeffery calling her one of the kindest people he had known. Information about survivors beyond her brother was not immediately available.
