Marla gibbs biography childrens picture

Marla Gibbs

Actress, entertainer, singer, writer, and producer (born )

Marla Gibbs

Gibbs at the NAACP convention in

Born

Margaret Theresa Bradley


() June 14, (age&#;93)

Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • comedian
  • writer
  • television producer
Years&#;active–present
Known&#;forFlorence Johnston – The Jeffersons
Mary Jenkins –
Spouse

Jordan Gibbs

&#;

&#;

(m.&#;; div.&#;)&#;
Children3
RelativesSusie Garrett (sister)

Marla Gibbs (born Margaret Bradley; June 14, )[1] is an American actress, singer, comedian, journalist, and television producer whose career spans seven decades.

She is known for her role as George Jefferson's maid, Florence Johnston, on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons (–), for which she received five nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Remarkable Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Gibbs also starred on the show's spin-off Checking In () and the NBC sitcom (–); she co-produced the latter series, played the guide role of Mary Jenkins, and sang the theme song.[2] Gibbs has won seven NAACP Image Awards.[3] In later years, Gibbs played supporting roles in films The Meteor Man (), Lost & Found (), The Visit (), The Brothers (), Madea's Witness Protection (), Grantham & Rose (), and Lemon () and on the Shondaland-produced TV shows Station 19 () and Grey's Anatomy ().

Marla Gibbs is an American actress, journalist, comedian, singer, and television producer whose career spans five decades. She celebrates her birthday on 14th June every year. Gibbs is 93 years old. Gibbs is the daughter of Douglas Bradley, who was a mechanic, and Ophelia Kemp, who worked at a grocery store, before working in a restaurant and later on, as a minister.

In August , Gibbs began playing Olivia Price on the NBC daytime drama Days of Our Lives. She also played Sweet Gam Gam on The Thundermans.

Biography

Early life and education

Marla Gibbs was born Margaret Bradley on June 14, , in Chicago, Illinois, at Cook County Hospital.

The middle of three sisters, Gibbs was raised in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the city's south side. Her father, Douglas Bradley of Waterproof, Louisiana (d. ), was a self-taught mechanic of Creole ancestry who owned an ice company. Her mother, Ophelia Birdie (née Kemp; d.

) was a businesswoman of Haitian descent who occasionally ran numbers in the gambling trade.[citation needed] In , Gibbs' parents divorced. Her mother married Charles Cady and relocated to Detroit.

Gibbs and her siblings remained in Chicago with their father and grandmother Hattie Sims.

Gibbs attended Corpus Christi Elementary School.[4] After graduating from Corpus Christi in , Gibbs attended St. Elizabeth High School, where she completed her freshman year and the first semester of her sophomore year.

During the middle of her sophomore year, Gibbs transferred to Wendell Phillips Academy High School. When she was 16, her father died and Gibbs was sent to live with her mother and stepfather in Detroit where she attended Northern High School for a semester during her junior year.[4] After months in Detroit, Gibbs returned to Chicago, re-enrolling at Phillips where she graduated in June [5][6] Several years later, Gibbs returned to Detroit, Michigan, where she attended Peters Business School.[citation needed]

Career

In , Gibbs relocated to Los Angeles to recuperate from an ulcer and began working as a reservations agent for United Airlines.[7] She first acted in local Los Angeles black theater before she got her first acting employment in the early s, in the blaxploitation films Sweet Jesus, Preacher Man and Black Belt Jones.

In , she was cast in the CBS comedy series The Jeffersons as Florence Johnston, the family's maid. For the first two years with CBS, Gibbs continued working for United Airlines.[7][8] She would serve at CBS during the afternoon and then leave for her second job, where she worked the night shift.[7] When the series became an established accomplishment, CBS requested that she obtain a leave of absence from her United job.[8] Gibbs's show on the series garnered her five nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and one nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Foremost Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

In , she starred in a short-lived spin-off of The Jeffersons titled Checking In.[3] Gibbs responded in a interview on Broadway Showbiz, when asked if she'd based any of her characters on real-life people: "Yes, Florence was like my aunt and grandmother so I lived it.

She came easy to me so I'm like Florence in giving smart answers, but I was also shy so I wouldn't have dared to say some of the things Florence said. I prefer to do whatever I can do at the moment. Whoever's hiring me at the momentthat's what I'm supposed to do.

My favorite is drama. I'm doing that now (on Scandal), but also still doing comedy on Hot in Cleveland."[8]

In , when The Jeffersons was cancelled after 11 seasons, Gibbs was the lead actress in the NBC sitcom .

was adapted from a play directed by Cambridge Players' then-president Ed Cambridge and was presented to NBC by Cambridge at Gibbs's Crossroads Theater in L.A. Cambridge served as imaginative director. The series aired until , producing episodes.

Two decades later, Gibbs teamed with former co-star Jackée Harry in The First Family, where Gibbs had a recurring role as Harry's mother Grandma Eddy. She worked with Harry again in the independent film Forbidden Woman.

Gibbs had a number of supporting film roles.

She also guest starred on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Martin, Touched by an Angel (with Della Reese), Judging Amy, ER, and Southland.[9] From - she had a recurring role on The Hughleys.

Gibbs appeared in the Tyler Perry film Madea's Witness Protection,[10] and starred in the independent film Grantham & Rose.[11][12]

In , Gibbs made two appearances in the Shonda Rhimes' drama series, Scandal.[13] She later guest starred on Hot in Cleveland, American Horror Story: Hotel and This Is Us.

In , she was cast in a recurring role on the ABC drama series Station 19.[14] Gibbs also had starring roles in two television pilots: Old Soul alongside Ellen Burstyn and Rita Moreno for NBC in , and ABC's Jalen Vs.

Everybody in [15] In film, she co-starred in Lemon and Please Stand By.

In , Gibbs reprised her role as Florence on Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons, less than a month before her 88th birthday.[16]

In , Gibbs began appearing as Olivia Price in a recurring role on Days of Our Lives.

That same year, for her contributions to the television industry, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[17]

Other ventures

From to , Gibbs owned a jazz club in South Central L.A.

called Marla's Memory Lane Jazz and Supper Club. She released a number of albums as a singer.[18][citation needed] In , she moved her Crossroads Arts Academy and Theatre into the former Leimert Theatre in Los Angeles.[19] Plans included the construction of a second stage, but the project ended in debt in June [19][20]

Personal life

Gibbs was married to her high university sweetheart Jordan Gibbs from - The couple had three children:[3] Angela, Dorian, and Joseph.

Marla Gibbs was born to be a mother! Although the actress is famous for her roles in "The Jeffersons" and "," what she is most pleased of is being a mother to her three kids. Marla Gibbs is a talented American singer, actress, comedian, writer, and television producer who has successfully stamped her place as an icon in the entertainment industry for over fifty years. Over the years, Marla has proven that she is a excellent woman and is still receiving recognition for her impact.

Her older sister, actress Susie Garrett, played Cherie's grandmother Betty Johnson on the NBC series Punky Brewster. Her daughter Angela, also an actress, appeared on Sanford and Son and in films such as Together Brothers, Drumline and Think Like a Human Too.

On July 31, , Gibbs attended the Leimert Park Village Book Fair in Los Angeles to pay tribute to Maya Angelou, who died on May 28, and Ruby Dee, who died on June [21] On January 11, , Gibbs and former co-star Jackée Harry attended the funeral of Grammy Award-winning singer Natalie Cole at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles.[22] Gibbs co-starred contrary Cole in the television clip Lily in Winter.[23]

Filmography

Film

† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

References

  1. ^International Television & Video Almanac.

    University of Michigan. p.&#; ISBN&#;.

  2. ^McCann, Bob (October 30, ).

    Gibbs was married to her high school sweetheart Jordan Gibbs from - The couple had three children: [ 3 ] Angela, Dorian, and Joseph. Her older sister, the late actress Susie Garrett, played Cherie's grandmother Betty Johnson on the NBC series Punky Brewster.

    Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Movie and Television. McFarland. ISBN&#;. Retrieved November 28,

  3. ^ abc"Marla Gibbs".

    Yahoo Movies.

    As of , the show has been renewed through September Marla married her high school sweetheart, Jordan Gibbs in , and the couple welcomed three children together – Angela, Dorian and Joseph.

    Retrieved November 28,

  4. ^ abThe HistoryMakers, Marla ved November 18,
  5. ^Dawn Rhodes (September 23, ). "Actress, flier share life lessons at Bronzeville high school". Chicago Tribune.
  6. ^Ihejirika, Maudlyne.

    "HistoryMakers-bringing-actress-Marla-Gibbs-to-Phillips-High". Retrieved November 28,

  7. ^ abcHall, Carla (October 30, ). "Marla Gibbs, Maid for TV". Washington Post.

    Marla was born the middle child to parents Ophelia Birdie and Douglas Bradley, and was reportedly named after her aunt Margaret Kemp. Her older sister was Susie Garret, who also dipped her toes in the entertainment business as an actress, jazz vocalist, and acting teacher. Regarding her education, she attended Wendell Philips Academy High School in Chicago, from which she matriculated in Later, she relocated to Detroit and enrolled at the Peters Business School.

    Retrieved February 4,

  8. ^ abc"Interview With Marla Gibbs". February 14, Retrieved November 10,
  9. ^"Marla Gibbs to Guest-Star on Southland".

    TV Guide. Retrieved November 28,

  10. ^"Latest Church & Show News". The Church Lady Blogs. Archived from the original on October 13, Retrieved November 28,
  11. ^"Marla Gibbs set for 'Grantham and Rose'".

    Variety. August 2, Retrieved November 28,

  12. ^Obenson, Tambay A. (November 20, ). "Watch Marla Gibbs, Tessa Thompson, Jake T. Austin In Trai - Shadow and Act". Shadow and Act.

    Archived from the first on December 4, Retrieved November 28,

  13. ^Webb, Matt (February 5, ). "'Scandal' Season 4 Recap — Fitz Declares War to Save Olivia".

    marla gibbs biography childrens picture2: Marla Gibbs Children. Gibbs is a mother of three children, Angela Gibbs, Dorian Gibbs, and Joseph Gibbs. Her daughter Angela Gibbs is also an actress and has appeared on the TV show Sanford and Son and in movies such as Together Brothers, Drumline, and Think Like A Male Too.

    . Retrieved June 17,

  14. ^Hipes, Patrick (March 6, ). "'Station 19': Marla Gibbs Fix For Multi-Episode Arc On ABC's 'Grey's Spinoff". Retrieved March 12,
  15. ^Schwindt, Oriana (February 6, ).

    "Jalen Rose ABC Comedy Pilot Casts Anna Maria Horsford, Marla Gibbs". Retrieved March 12,

  16. ^Roots, Kimberly (May 23, ). "The Jeffersons Vet Marla Gibbs Reprises Role of Florence in Surprise Appearance".

    TVLine. Retrieved May 22,

  17. ^"MARLA GIBBS ON HER DAYS RUN". . Odyssey Magazine Publishing Group Inc. August 30, Retrieved November 18,
  18. ^Butler, Bethonie (March 12, ).

    "Why Marla Gibbs of 'Scandal' and 'The Jeffersons' won't tell you her age". Washington Post. Retrieved January 15,

  19. ^ abShirley, Don (June 21, ). "Ambitious Plans for Marla Gibbs' Crossroads Facility&#;: Theater: The TV star moves her Crossroads Academy to a new residence and launches a fund-raising drive".

    Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 15,

  20. ^"Gibb's theatrical vision sinks under pile of debt".

    Marla Gibbs born Margaret Bradley ; June 14, [ 1 ] is an American actress, singer, comedian, writer, and television producer whose career spans seven decades. Gibbs also starred on the show's spin-off Checking In and the NBC sitcom — ; she co-produced the latter series, played the lead role of Mary Jenkins, and sang the theme song. The middle of three sisters, Gibbs was raised in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the city's south side. Her father, Douglas Bradley of Waterproof, Louisiana d.

    Deseret News. August 22, Retrieved November 15,

  21. ^"L.A. Book fair to honor Maya Angelou, Ruby Dee &#; Florida Courier". Archived from the unique on January 1, Retrieved December 2,
  22. ^"La Me Ln Chaka Khan Natalie Cole Funeral".

    Los Angeles Times. January 11, Retrieved February 18,

  23. ^"Lily In Winter (TV Movie )". . IMDb, Inc. Retrieved November 18,
  24. ^Schwartz, Ryan (February 27, ).

    "One Day at a Time: Marla Gibbs Cast in Season 4 Halloween Episode, Reuniting With Jeffersons Creator Norman Lear". TVLine.

External links