Leah Jeffries

American actress (born 2009) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leah Sava Jeffries (/sə.ˈv/; born September 25, 2009)[1][2] is an American actress.[3][4] Jeffries made her acting debut on the American musical drama, Empire (2015) and later her feature film debut in the action-thriller Beast (2022). In 2022, Jeffries was cast as Annabeth Chase in the television adaptation of Rick Riordan's fantasy novel series, Percy Jackson & the Olympians, which earned her three NAACP Image Awards, along with a nomination for the Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Performer.

Born
Leah Sava Jeffries

(2009-09-25) September 25, 2009 (age 16)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
OccupationsActress and model
Yearsactive2014–present
Quick facts Born, Occupations ...
Leah Sava Jeffries
Jeffries in 2025
Born
Leah Sava Jeffries

(2009-09-25) September 25, 2009 (age 16)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
OccupationsActress and model
Years active2014–present
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Early life

Jeffries was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Leah Jeffries and Floyd S. Jeffries Jr.[5][6] She has an older brother, Floyd Jeffries, who is also an actor and model.[6] She attended school in the Novi Community School District.[3]

Career

Prior to her acting debut, Jeffries worked as a model for children's products for Carol's Daughter.[6] Jeffries' acting debut was at age 5 as Lola Lyon on Empire.[6][7]

On May 5, 2022, Jeffries was announced as Annabeth Chase in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Immediately following the casting announcement, Jeffries received harassment online because she was African-American, while her character, Annabeth Chase, was portrayed as white in the book series the show was based on.[4][8] On May 10, the books' author, Rick Riordan, posted a blog post in which he condemned the backlash against Jeffries and reaffirmed his support of her.[4][8][9] Alexandra Daddario, the actress who played Annabeth in the two movie adaptations, also posted support for Jeffries online.[9] Members of the fanbase who supported Jeffries' casting posted support online with the hashtag #LeahIsOurAnnabeth.[10]

In August 2022, the film Beast was released, in which Jeffries played Norah Samuels.[7] Later that year, Something from Tiffany's, in which Jeffries played Daisy Greene, was released.[11]

Filmography

Film

More information Year, Project ...
Year Project Role Notes Ref.
2018 Faith Under Fire Fiona TV Movie
2019 PawParazzi Monique
2022 Beast Norah Samuels [7]
2022 Something from Tiffany's Daisy Greene [10]
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Television

More information Year, Project ...
Year Project Role Notes Ref.
2015–2016 Empire Lola Lyon Recurring role; 6 episodes [6]
2018–2019 Rel Brandi 11 episodes [7]
2023–present Percy Jackson and the Olympians Annabeth Chase Main Role [12]
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Awards and nominations

More information Year, Award ...
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2024 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-series) Percy Jackson and the Olympians Won [13]
Séries em Cena Awards Best Actress in an International Series Nominated [14]
BET Awards BET YoungStars Award Nominated [15]
2025 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series) Won [16]
Children's and Family Emmy Awards Outstanding Younger Performer in a Preschool, Children's or Young Teen Program Nominated [17]
2026 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series) Won [18]
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References

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