Leah Sava Jeffries (; born September 25, 2009) is an American actress. 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.
Early life Jeffries was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Leah Jeffries and Floyd S. Jeffries Jr. She has an older brother, Floyd Jeffries, who is also an actor and model. She attended school in the Novi Community School District.
Career Prior to her acting debut, Jeffries worked as a model for children's products for Carol's Daughter. Jeffries' acting debut was at age 5 as Lola Lyon on Empire.
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. 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. Alexandra Daddario, the actress who played Annabeth in the two movie adaptations, also posted support for Jeffries online. Members of the fanbase who supported Jeffries' casting posted support online with the hashtag #LeahIsOurAnnabeth.
In August 2022, the film Beast was released, in which Jeffries played Norah Samuels. Later that year, Something from Tiffany's, in which Jeffries played Daisy Greene, was released.
Filmography Film Year Project Role Notes Ref. 2019 PawParazzi Monique 2022 Beast Norah Samuels 2022 Something from Tiffany's Daisy Greene
Television Year Project Role Notes Ref. 2015–2016 Empire Lola Lyon Recurring role; 6 episodes 2018 Faith Under Fire Fiona TV Movie 2018–2019 Rel Brandi 11 episodes 2023–present Percy Jackson and the Olympians Annabeth Chase Main Role 2027 The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen Faith TV Movie
Awards and nominations + Year Award Category Work Result 2024 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-series) Percy Jackson and the Olympians Séries em Cena Awards Best Actress in an International Series BET Awards BET YoungStars Award 2025 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series) Children's and Family Emmy Awards Outstanding Younger Performer in a Preschool, Children's or Young Teen Program 2026 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series)
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