We all know Marla Gibbs as the amazing actor that she is. She always had us crackin’ up off her slick verbal jabs she used to take at “George Jefferson” as her role as “Florence” on The Jeffersons. In fact, if you’re a true lover of Old School sitcoms, you’re probably still laughing at Marla on the show’s reruns.
Now here’s something that many didn’t know, Marla Gibbs actually has a daughter and a sister who are both actresses that we’re familiar with. They’re mainstream fame wasn’t as long lasting as Gibbs’, but they still made their mark in the acting world. Check them out below.
Does Marla Gibbs’s Sister Look Familiar? Yep…
We’ll start with Gibb’s big sis.’ Her name is Susie Garrett and if she looks familiar to you it’s because she’s had several guest roles on her sister’s show, The Jeffersons, 227, and also The Twilight Zone, and the 60’s sitcom, My Three Sons. Her most popular role was as one of the stars of the 80’s sitcom, Punky Brewster, where she played an RN (registered nurse) and grandmother to “Punky’s” friend on the show.
Old School fun fact about the “Punky Brewster” sitcom: Actress Cherie Johnson — who played Susie Garrett’s character’s granddaughter on the show and also “Punky Brewster’s” best friend — is actually the real life niece of the show’s creator. Who would’ve thought that show was actually created by an African American? Interesting.
Meet Marla Gibbs’s Daughter
Her daughter is Angela Gibbs. She’s been acting for decades and is also a director, producer, writer, and acting coach. Her acting credits include films, Love Jacked, Straight Outta Compton; as well as television shows, “Shameless,” “Insecure,” “End of the World: As We Know It,” “On My Block,” “American Crimes: The People vs OJ Simpson,” and she was a regular on Adult Swim’s “Black Jesus.”
Angela is very well known for her work behind the scenes in entertainment as well. She has won two NAACP Image Awards for her theatrical productions which include the Broadway play, “Checkmates,” starring Denzel Washington, Ruby Dee, and Paul Winfield; and “The Meeting,” starring Dick Anthony Williams, Taurean Blacque and others.
For nine years Angela was also the senior writer for the Trumpet Awards. Angela has also taught at Spelman in the Drama Dept.
Here’s another Old School fun fact: The “227” sitcom was actually an adaptation of a stage play that Marla Gibbs and her daughter Angela produced. It was so good that it caught the attention of Norman Lear producer of All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son, Good Times, and Maude, he teamed up with Marla to make the TV show concept a reality and the rest is history.
So as you can see, Marla Gibbs has a whole bunch of talent running through her fam.’
And there you have it family, like we always say: We learn something new everyday around these parts.
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