Marla Gibbs continues to be the gift that keeps on giving.

At age 94, she is still providing us with gems. Gibbs’ latest endeavors include a memoir, titled It’s Never Too Late, which was co-written alongside her daughter and fellow actor, Angela Gibbs.

Marla is revered for her roles as Florence Johnston on The Jeffersons and Mary Jenkins on 227. However, beyond the screen, she has been an advocate for increasing roles for Black women in Hollywood, and she has fought for women who look like her to have creative control. Notably, she served as an executive producer of 227, which was unheard of at the time, and now she’s sharing decades of experience with readers of her new book.

Marla has also used It’s Never Too Late as a catalyst for healing.

Turning over a new leaf

“Starting over is like releasing it so the memory is not as bad as it was,” Marla told Blavity during a phone interview. “Starting again means that you’re letting go of the past.”

For Marla, the past has been a mix of highs and lows, and she got candid about the alleged abuse she endured at the hands of her late husband, which prompted her to move to Hollywood in the first place. As a result of her bravery, Marla became the star that she is today.

While recounting the details in the book was far from easy, the family noted how it strengthened their bond like never before.

“As a family, we were able to communicate better,” Marla said. “And really check out how we felt about doing it together. We had family therapy as a result of writing this book.”

Why being 30 resonates with Marla on a spiritual level

Marla is no stranger to lending her voice and face to some of television’s most charismatic characters, and she has always leaned into being quite charming herself.

“They allow you to get out of yourself and into the new character and start to experience what the new character is experiencing,” she said when asked how the roles she’s portrayed on TV have shaped the Marla Gibbs we know and love today.

Moreover, Marla believes that spiritually she is in her 30s, despite her upcoming 95th birthday on June 14.

“Well, you know, God says we’re spiritual beings, as well as physical,” Marla explained. “We don’t have a time, we don’t have an age. So I choose to vibrate on 30 because 30-year-olds are never talking about what they’re going to do in the future. They’re doing it now.”

She continues to pour into the next generation of actors

Marla walked so that many actors could run.

It is no secret that she’s fought for many people who came after her, including Wendy Raquel Robinson, Kym Whitley, Nia Long, Regina King, and the list goes on.

With an entrepreneurial spirit passed down from her mother, Marla established Marla’s Memory Lane Jazz and Supper Club, which operated in South Central LA from 1981 to 1999. Additionally, she founded the Crossroads Arts Academy and Theatre, which was created to foster acting talents.

The latter ultimately expanded when Marla purchased the Vision Theatre in Leimert Park in 1990, and it served as the launching pad for many young actors. 

“My mother was very good at entrepreneurship and communicating to bring people together,” Marla said. “I’ve continued that by funding my daughters’ acting school and theater, which evolved into The Vision Theatre. Owning a jazz supper club in the Crenshaw district to bring class to our neighborhood.”