WATCH: The Legacy Of Marla Gibbs Tribute

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Marla Gibbs Lifetime Achievement Award.

Transcript

00:00You live in this apartment, right?

00:03Uh-huh.

00:04And you got an apartment in this building, too?

00:07Yes, that's right.

00:08Well, how come we overcame and nobody told me?

00:14For over five decades, Marla Gibbs has been a barrier-breaking queen in American entertainment,

00:20blazing trails on both screen and behind the camera.

00:24How did my career start?

00:26I came here in 69 and started in community workshops.

00:31My daughter Angela and I found out about Margaret Avery's workshop,

00:35so we went and joined and found out that they were auditioning for The Jeffersons.

00:42And so I went and did an audition for The Jeffersons,

00:45and my agent was Ernestine McClendon,

00:49and she decided that her clients were not being seen the way they should be.

00:54So she wrote a full-page letter to The Hollywood Reporter.

00:59So I went in and did an audition, and it was the first time they paid attention to me.

01:05And by the time I got home, I had the job.

01:08How did it feel to be dead?

01:10What?

01:12Did you get to talk to the devil?

01:15Armed with quick wit and impeccable comedic timing,

01:18Marla Gibbs transformed a one-time guest role on The Jeffersons at age 44

01:23into an 11-season masterclass in entertainment.

01:27Florence, I need a drink.

01:28Me too, and make mine a double.

01:30Her performance led to five Emmy nominations

01:33and helped make The Jeffersons a top-ten show.

01:37Well, it was awesome because we weren't expecting it.

01:41You didn't see black people on TV that much,

01:43and so just the idea that you were auditioning for something to be on television,

01:49the people I grew up with would be shocked.

01:52But bringing Florence Johnston to life was just the beginning.

01:55Making history as the first black woman to executive produce a television show,

01:59Marla broke new ground with 227,

02:02where she not only starred but served as creative consultant.

02:05Oh, Eddie Murphy, Eddie Murphy, that's all over here.

02:08Daddy!

02:09Mary!

02:10Lester.

02:11Sorry.

02:12When network executives pushed to make her character a single mother,

02:15she stood resolute, fighting for and winning

02:18the portrayal of a strong, two-parent black household.

02:21But her influence extended far beyond the screen.

02:24Miss Gibbs created vital spaces for black creativity to flourish.

02:28Marla's memory lanes, her jazz club in South Central L.A.,

02:32was a cultural cornerstone for nearly two decades.

02:35Marla co-founded Crossroads Theater and Acting School with her daughter Angela in 1981

02:41and later acquired the historic Len Murch Theater,

02:44transforming it into the Vision Theater Complex.

02:47Though adorned with eight NAACP awards and honors like Essence magazine's

02:51Woman of the Year, Marla's true legacy lies in the doors she opened,

02:55the stereotypes she shattered, and the standards she set.

02:59She's a visionary architect who built an empire on the understanding

03:02that representation, ownership, and opportunity

03:05are the foundations of black excellence.

03:11♪♪

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