Five-time Emmy nominated actress Marla Gibbs is a living legend, who has influenced a generation of hilarious comics and entertainers. The belief she had in herself early on to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an actress is one of the reasons she has inspired countless other Black actors to imagine their dreams are possible too. Read more about Gibbs’ fruitful career and how she’s a legend making legends inside.
Gibbs is best known for her role as Florence Johnston in Norman Lear’s “The Jeffersons,” a spinoff of Lear’s hit sitcom “All in the Family.” The 91-year-old beloved actress lives by the motto, “It’s never too late.” In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter February 2022, Gibbs shared that she finished her book titled It’s Never Too Late.
“That’s my story,” Gibbs shared about her journey in TV. “And I’m sure it’s a lot of other people’s story. I’m sure it should be encouraging to a lot of people who think it’s too late. I really got it from a lady that came up to me and said, ‘Ms. Gibbs, I always wanted to act. You think it’s too late?’ I said, ‘Are you still breathing? If you’re still breathing, it’s not too late.’”
Gibbs began her journey in the industry when she was 44 years old after relocating from Detroit to Los Angeles. The Chicago native was divorced at the time with a few credits to her name when she auditioned and landed a role on a new CBS sitcom that would go on to change her life.
Her role as Florence, the housekeeper to a successful Black family living on New York’s Upper East Side, showed Hollywood that she was a talent amongst the many key players on the show. Gibbs acted alongside comedic giants like Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover, who she admired and greatly enjoyed working with.
However, real “The Jeffersons” fans know that without Gibbs brilliant comedic timing and deliver, the show would not have…
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