Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, five-time Emmy-nominated actress Marla Gibbs wears many hats: mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, actor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and icon. She starred as the witty, wisecracking maid Florence for 11 seasons on the CBS hit comedy, "The Jeffersons," and as the loving matriarch Mary on the NBC hit series, "227," where she made history as the executive producer.

At 93 years young, she remains active, doing cameos in television and film projects, including "This Is Us," "NCIS," "Days of Our Lives, UnPrisoned" and "Will Trent."

An eight-time NAACP Image Award winner, Marla continues to receive numerous prestigious honors, including Essence Magazine’s Woman of the Year, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Black Filmmaker’s Foundation Award, and many more.

Throughout her life, she has poured her resources into the community in numerous ways: opening a jazz supper club, co-founding a performing arts school and theatre with her daughter, and supporting countless community organizations. Beyond acting, Marla’s first love is music. She co-wrote and sang the "227" theme song, and in recent years released her own original jazz album, It’s Never Too Late --- which is a motto she lives by.

Books by Marla Gibbs

It's Never Too Late: A Memoir

by Marla Gibbs, with contributions by Malaika Adero - Memoir, Nonfiction

Marla Gibbs, the star of such classic television series as “The Jeffersons” and “227,” has been a Hollywood icon for generations of fans. Now, at 93, she chronicles her climb from a difficult youth in which she yearned for safety and love, to the high-stakes world of Hollywood where she became a confident powerbroker learning to work behind the scenes for fair pay, access, and more creative control for herself and her colleagues. Told in her forthright voice, IT’S NEVER TOO LATE illuminates Gibbs' daring move to Los Angeles to rebuild her life after an abusive marriage, how she became an actor, and how she eventually learned to balance acting with show running.