Leah Sava Jeffries (/sə.ˈveɪ/; 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 two NAACP Image Awards, along with a nomination for the Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Performer.
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]
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]
| 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] |
| 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] |
| 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] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
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