Fans of veteran actress Marla Gibbs know her for her starring roles on TV’s “The Jeffersons” and “227.” But Gibbs’ repertoire spans stage, film and television. In an exclusive interview with Reel Urban News, Gibbs gave us a peek behind the scenes of ‘The Jeffersons,” and 227″and an entertainment career that has lasted five decades.
“Oh my God! ‘The Jeffersons,’ we did 200 shows,” exclaims Gibbs. “A couple of my favorites are the one with Billy D. Williams, which has become a classic, and the ‘Aunt Jemima’ show. It was great the whole cast was great. It was my first show. I didn’t always understand how things went, but I paid attention to what the writers were doing. The executive producers were Don Nicholl, Michael Ross and Bernie West. Don was from England. I could see he was the head writer, so I would pay attention to what he was doing. He became my ally. It became very fun and gratifying for me working on that show.”
After 11 seasons and 253 episodes of ‘The Jeffersons’ the Emmy-nominated actress went on the star in “227” as the sharp-tongued gossip, mother and housewife, Mary Jenkins. I never received credit as executive producer for ‘227,’ but I got all of the rights, courtesies and privileges which they didn’t think I would use. But I used every one of them.”
Although Gibbs did not create “227,” her creative influence was significant to the show’s success. “It was very important to me that the show be exactly what I wanted it to be.”
Speaking with Michael Reel of Reel Urban News, Gibbs explains that acting has been in her blood since childhood. “I’ve always wanted to be an actress. I always loved movies, I kinda lived in the movies. I remember seeing Joan Crawford in ‘Possessed’ and at the end of the movie I couldn’t get on the bus, I had to walk home. I was still in character. Acting has always been a very rewarding experience for me.”
With a career spanning 50 years, Gibbs continues to work in Hollywood. Her appearance on the hit ABC drama ‘Scandal’ in 2015 was the talk of the industry. Gibbs has also appeared in a number of other movies and primetime television shows.
“I’m looking at a show like ‘This Is Us’ it has all of the qualities in it. You have a white family adopting a black child because they lost a child. They raise him up with their children. Just like he’s their real child. And that’s what we are, we’re all one.”
“I hope we recognize all the progress we have made and not just focus on what we haven’t done.”
At the close of our interview with Ms. Gibbs, the living legend credits her longevity and career success to “God mostly, my faith and my perseverance. What you put in the universe, the universe responds to you.”
