Marla Gibbs Biography

Marla Gibbs is an American actress, writer, comedian, singer, and television producer whose career spans five decades. She is best known for her role as George Jefferson’s maid, Florence Johnston, in the CBS sitcom, The Jeffersons (1975–85).

Marla Gibbs Education

She studied at Wendell Phillips Academy High School in the Bronzeville neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side where she graduated in 1949. After high school, she moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she attended Peters Business School.

Marla Gibbs Age

She was born Margaret Theresa Bradley on 14 June 1931 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. She celebrates her birthday on 14th June every year. Gibbs is 92 years old.

Marla Gibbs Height

Gibbs stands at a height of 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall.

Marla Gibbs Family / Parents

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. When Marla was four years old her parents divorced. They later reconciled although her mother died in 1967 and Marla was raised by her father who died in 1974, she described her father as wonderful.

Marla Gibbs Husband / Joseph Gibbs Marla Gibbs

Gibbs married her high school sweetheart Jordan Gibbs in 1955 but they divorced in 1973 after 18 years of marriage. She has said that she felt a sense of displacement in her early adult years and marrying Gibbs was an escape hatch since she didn’t really know him. She said in an interview that her marriage was often turbulent. Gibbs said she needed freedom which lead her to shorten her name and filing for divorce in 1973.

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 Man Too.

Marla Gibbs Daughter

Gibbs’s daughter, Angela Gibbs, is also an actress, director, producer, writer, and acting coach. She is known for her recurring role on the AdultSwim comedy series, Black Jesus. Angela has won two NAACP Image Awards for her theatrical productions which include the Broadway play, ‘Checkmates’ and ‘The Meeting’. She was a senior writer for the Trumpet Awards for nine years. She has also taught at Spelman in the Drama Dept.

Marla Gibbs Net Worth

Gibbs has an estimated net worth of $4 million.

Marla Gibbs Career

Gibbs started her career as a reservations clerk for United Airlines and was transferred to Los Angeles in 1969. She started studying acting as a hobby. She got her first acting role in the early 1970s, in the blaxploitation films Sweet Jesus, Preacher Man, and Black Belt Jones. In 1975 she got her first major role as Florence Johnston in “The Jeffersons.”

Gibbs said in an interview that during her first two years on ‘The Jeffersons’ she still kept her airline job. In 1981, she starred in the show’s spin-off ‘Checking In’ and also in the NBC sitcom, 227 (1985–90) which she co-produced the latter series, played the lead role of Mary Jenkins, and sang the theme song.

She also co-starred opposite Cole in the TV movie Lily in Winter. She has played supporting roles in movies like; The Meteor Man (1993), Lost & Found (1999), The Visit (2000), The Brothers (2001), Madea’s Witness Protection (2012), Grantham & Rose (2015), and Lemon (2017). Throughout her career, Marla has won a total of seven NAACP Image Awards.

Marla Gibbs 227

227 was an American sitcom television series where Marla played Mary Jenkins who was a quick-witted housewife in Washington D.C. In the series, Mary Jenkins formed a friendship with her bold younger neighbor wh was known as Sandra ( Jackée Harry). Despite their differences, the two grew closer to one another as they discussed different topics and views on life.

Marla Gibbs The Jeffersons | Marla Gibbs Florence Johnston

From 1975 to 1985, Gibbs played a role as George Jefferson’s maid, Florence Johnston, in the CBS sitcom, The Jeffersons. On May 20, 2019, 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 to her 88th birthday.

She made a surprise appearance on the episodes of “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” that Jimmy Kimmel re-staged on ABC Wednesday night. Right at the end of the 90-minute live tribute to Norman Lear, one original “Jeffersons” cast member popped in for a surprise appearance, re-inhabiting the role she first played nearly 50 years ago.

The moment Marla Gibbs appeared on screen, the audience in the studio erupted into thunderous applause. It was quite a shock, especially when the cast list for the episode didn’t have Gibbs listed anywhere on the episode. The role of Florence was originally supposed to be played by actress Justina Machado. She starred as Florence Johnston, the wisecracking maid to the Jeffersons, and she is one of the only surviving members of the show’s main cast.

Marla Gibbs Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame pays tribute to legendary figures in the entertainment industry. Gibbs was honored with the  2,6978th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. However, while she was giving her speech as she was overwhelmed with all the love and support she received and got overheated.

Marla Gibbs Death

Gibbs is still alive as of 2022.

Marla Gibbs Movies and Tv Shows

Movies

• 2000: The Visit playing a role as Lois Waters
• 2001: The Brothers playing a role as Mary West
• 2005: Love on Layaway playing a role as Narrator
• 2006: The Ties That Bind playing a role as Delores
• 2009: The What Goes Around playing a role as Ms. Lacey
• 2010: Sunnyview playing a role as Mrs. Harris
• 2012: Madea’s Witness Protection playing a role as Hattie
• 2014: Grantham & Rose playing a role as Rose Price
• 2015: The Man in 3B playing a role as Ms. Mamie
• 2016: Second Sight playing a role as Nana
• 2017: You Can’t Fight Christmas playing a role as Beverly Lawrence
• 2018: Please Stand By playing a role as Rose

 Tv Shows

• 2019: The Neighborhood playing a role as Miss Simpson
• 2019: Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons playing a role as Florence Johnston
• 2018: Beyond playing a role as Cutlass Owner
• 2017–2018: Black-ish playing a role as Mabel
• 2017: Teachers playing a role as Mrs. Potts
• 2016–2017: The Carmichael Show playing a role as Francis
• 2015: Scandal playing a role as Rose
• 2015: Hot in Cleveland playing a role as Marcia

The table below answers some of the frequently asked questions about Gibbs.