Margaret Theresa Bradley

Margaret Theresa Bradley

Margaret Theresa Bradley’s net worth is $2 Million. Also know about Margaret Theresa Bradley bio, salary, height, age weight, relationship, and more …

Margaret Theresa Bradley Wiki Biography

  • Born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on 14 June 1931, Margaret Theresa Bradley. 
  • She is a producer, writer, performer, comedian, and actress, perhaps best known for being part of the “The Jeffersons” CBS show. 
  • “She was also part of the “Checking In” spin-off and the “227” television program. 
  • All her efforts have led to putting her net worth where it is today. 
  • Sources inform us of a net worth of $2 million as of mid-2016, largely earned through a prolific career in acting spanning five decades. 
  • Since the 1970s, she has been recognized for her roles and has achieved success both in movies and on television. 
  • Though she only had supporting roles later in life, her current wealth was assured by all of her efforts. 
  • Marla attended and enrolled in 1949 at Wendell Phillips Academy High School, then moved to Detroit and attended Peters Business School. 
  • She worked for United Airlines as a reservations agent after school, before moving to Los Angeles to begin her acting career. 
  • This was the beginning of the growth of her net worth. 
  • The movies “Black Belt Jones” and “Sweet Jesus, Preacher Man” featured a couple of her first appearances. 
  • She became part of the comedy show ‘The Jeffersons’ in 1975, playing the role of Florence Johnston, the family maid. 
  • She was nominated five times for a Primetime Emmy Award during her tenure on the show and once for a Golden Globe Award. 
  • She starred in the spin-off “Checking In” after “The Jeffersons”, which was sadly short-lived. 
  • Gibbs was cast to become the lead for the show “227” after 11 seasons of “The Jeffersons”, which started in 1990 and would go on to run for 116 episodes. 
  • In “The First Family” and the independent movie “Forbidden Woman,” she then appeared. 
  • In 1955, Gibbs married Jordan Gibbs for her own personal life, but in 1973 the marriage ended. 
  • They had three kids, including the actress Angela Gibbs, who appeared in movies like “Drumline” and “Think Like A Man Too.” 
  • IMDB Wikipedia “Dream On” (1993) “Empty Nest” (1993) “Hot in Cleveland” (2015) “Listen Up” (2004) “Martial Law” (1999) “Martin” (1995) “The First Family” (2012-2013) “The King of Queens” (2002) “Checking In” “Madea’s Witness Protection” (2015-) “The Jeffersons” (1975-1985) $2 million 1931 1931-06-14 1931-6-14 227 5 ‘8 

Margaret Theresa Bradley Quick Info

Full Name Marla Gibbs
Net Worth $2 Million
Date Of Birth June 14, 1931
Place Of Birth Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
Profession Actress, comedian, writer, singer, producer
Education Wendell Phillips High School, Peters Business School
Nationality American
Spouse Jordan Gibbs
Children Joseph Gibbs, Dorian Gibbs
Parents Douglas Bradley, Ophelia Birdie
Siblings Susie Garrett
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MarlaGibbs4Real
Twitter https://twitter.com/marlagibbs4real
IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004958
Awards NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Albums “It’s Never Too Late”
Nominations Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1981-1985), Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, TV Land Award for Favorite Made-for-TV Maid
Movies “Empty Nest” (1993), “Dream On” (1993), “Martin” (1995), “Martial Law” (1999), “The King of Queens” (2002), “Listen Up” (2004)
TV Shows “The Jeffersons” (1975-1985), “Checking In”, “227”, “The First Family” (2012-2013), “Hot in Cleveland” (2015), “Madea’s Witness Protection” (2015-)

Margaret Theresa Bradley Trademarks

  1. Portrayed the characters that she played in real-life about her family.
  2. Natural black hair
  3. Voluptuous figure
  4. Played the characters that are either sarcastic or tart-tongued in tone.
  5. Used the word “Child” in sitcoms.
  6. Deep sultry voice
  7. Frequently appearing in African-American sitcoms
  8. Her acid-dry wit

Margaret Theresa Bradley Quotes

  • If you hold your hand closed nothing can get out, but nothing can get in.
  • [In 2016]: If you only stretch one leg, you can’t go very far. You’ve got to take both legs with you.
  • [When felt if Sherman Hemsley had stopped calling Franklin Cover names, off-camera]: Sherman [at some point] didn’t like calling Tom ‘a honky.’ He said, ‘We’d resolved from that. That was fine, the first 2 or 3 years; but now, we’re friends. I don’t want to be called him ‘a honky.’ So, that’s not funny anymore to me, and they stopped writing that.
  • You know, you can’t please all the people all the time.
  • [When asked if she played anything of her two actual characters on television]: Yes, Florence was like my Aunt and Grandmother so I lived it. She came easy to me so I’m like Florence in giving smart answers, but I was also shy so I wouldn’t have dared to say some of the things Florence said.I prefer to do whatever I can do at the moment. Whoever’s hiring me at the moment…that’s what I’m supposed to do. My favorite is Drama. I’m doing that now (on Scandal), but also still doing Comedy on Hot in Cleveland.
  • [In 2015]: I would describe myself as sensitive, caring and considerate when it comes to other people’s feelings, so I can’t be like all the sassy characters in real life unless the script calls for it.
  • [on being 83]: No, I’m 30. Born in ’31. You do the math and don’t tell me. I really live that. If I go to the hospital or the doctor – I’m 30. They ask me for my birth date, I put my birth date down. Then they ask me for my age, so I put 30. Because when people tell their age they start seeing themselves as that. I do not see 83 in my life. I don’t know what that is. People start saying ‘I’m old’ and they start acting old and next thing you know they’re gone. Or they stop living, they stop dreaming, they stop doing anything. My thing is that it’s never too late if you’re still breathing. I’m still vertical and I’m still on this side of the grass. And I’m still 30, so there’s no excuse. I can do anything I want to do because it’s never too late.
  • [Who responded in 2015 about another favorite role besides playing Florence Johnston]: I would have to say that was my favorite and ‘227’ was next. We have some fans that favor ‘227’ over ‘The Jeffersons,’ especially younger people, and some that favor ‘The Jeffersons.’ But ‘The Jeffersons’ actually has never stopped running, so now we have a whole new audience. Little children! I was doing ‘The Hughleys’ and the two children that were my grandchildren on the show, they came running in one day saying ‘we saw you, we saw you!’ They had seen a re-run of ‘The Jeffersons.’ I was in a department store and a Caucasian man walked up to me and he said ‘my son recognized you.’ His son was three-years-old. I said, ‘Are you staying up late? What time do you go to bed?’ Because we were on at night then. We have people today that say ‘I watch you every week.’ They’re watching ‘The Jeffersons’ faithfully because they don’t like what else is on TV.
  • [2012] Everything must change and you do what you can with the changes that are made. You can’t stop it. You can’t fight it. Everybody tries to go back to yesterday, but you can’t go back to yesterday. The only time there is, is now. So you have to stay in the now and you have to not judge so I don’t judge it. Somebody’s dream is coming true and I applaud them. My dreams came true and they applauded me. So things have changed. They cannot be the way they were.
  • [after the death of Sherman Hemsley in 2012] Just working with him is a joy. Only he could do the walk that he does, and only he could bring the humor that he brought.
  • [on the death of Sherman Hemsley]: Sherman was one of the most generous co-stars I have ever worked with. He happily set me up so that I could slam him, and I did the same for him. I shall miss him deeply.
  • I’d get off from Jefferson’s and come right up 6th Street, zoom around the corner, and I’d be sitting at my desk at United Airlines. ‘Good Evening, United Airlines, may I help you?’ Sometimes people would say, ‘your voice sounds familiar.’…. Then I decided that if you only stretch one leg, you can’t go very far, you’ve got to take both legs with you. I decided to give it a shot. And of course, I wasn’t sorry.
  • [When asked if there was a backstage feud between her and ex-227 (1985) co-star, Jackée Harry]: That was never a feud. That’s about people wanting to create controversy. I mean people might play that to a little bit, thinking that’s the way you build things. I just never was a fan of that approach.
  • [In 1986]: I fell in love with my children as they got older. As they got older, I related to them more and they related to me.
  • [on her popularity while playing the fifty-something Mary Jenkins on 227]: What we’re coming to is less offensive humor. I call it situation humor rather than written jokes with punchlines of offensive humor. You can’t beat life [for providing funny situations]. I’m not a comedian. The more serious I am, the funnier the situation is. If you really deal with truth, you get humor.
  • [In 1981]: We blacks have a history of confusing service with servitude, primarily because it was the route we had to take rather than elected to take. So, our mothers, when they had children, would try to encourage them to go to school telling them to learn something so they won’t be cleaning, scrubbing somebody’s floors and cleaning somebody’s house.
  • [If she needed to go back to The Jeffersons (1975), just in case if Checking In (1981) was not a ratings winner, fortunately, she did]: I have in my contract that if anything goes wrong, I will be back. I made sure of that.
  • [Of Sherman Hemsley]: Well, in real-life he was an introvert and on the show he was an extrovert. He was very shy, really sensitive and spiritual. He did not like to call Franklin [Tom Willis] a honky. He finally asked [the producers] to please take that out. He said, ‘We’re friends now. Why am I still calling him a honky?’ So, they finally took that out.
  • [on the cancelation of 227 (1985)]: 227 ended, we did five seasons, of course, you have enough for the reruns and for syndication. We would’ve gone another season, I think some of the actors were unhappy and I was not able to convince them, and so, I don’t think the network would want to keep the show, now that’s what I think happened, so, we didn’t pick it up.
  • [If she and the rest of her 227 (1985) would like to see their own characters differently]: On the show, we like to see done differently, and some we’re just fine. But then, it’s always something.
  • [In 2010]: You can’t ad-lib, because the camera needs to know what you’re going to say, so that they can be there, you’ll be talking and you’ll be on-camera.
  • [In 1992]: I said, ‘Don’t let your child see you stealing.’ And she said, ‘I have enough dignity left to appreciate what you’re saying, but I ain’t got no food. We ain’t got nothing.’ I had to stop and think about that.
  • [Of her 2006 stroke and aneurysm]: I had a small aneurysm and a stroke as a result of the surgery. Fortunately I can walk and talk and do all those things. God has been really good to me.
  • [In 2008]: I never thought I was a great mom. I always worked. I fell in love with my children as they got older. When they were teenagers, I was the mom for the neighborhood. I realize now I should’ve been holding them. I didn’t feel like they needed me. I felt anybody who gave them a bottle or changed their diapers was fine. But as they got older, I related to them more and they related to me. Then I became the mom who baked the cookies.
  • [In 1988]: When you’re busy doing, you don’t have time to talk. You don’t have time to say, ‘I can’t.’ You’ve got to answer the next phone call!
  • [In 2009]: That massage was one of the best parts of the trip.
  • When I saw people looting. I, like everybody else, said, ‘It’s like a bunch of mad dogs.’
  • [Who said in 2009 about her real-life best friend’s/co-star’s, Alaina Reed-Hall’s ex-husband, Kevin Peter Hall, who guest starred on 227 (1985)]: It was a wonderful segment because we had [guest star] Luther Vandross, who was also a friend of Alaina’s, sing; and we had the same minister who performed the actual wedding.
  • [on the death of 227 (1985), co-star, Alaina Reed-Hall in 2009]: She was just a wonderful friend. She will be sorely missed; she fought the good fight.
  • [on the death of The Jeffersons (1975), series’ lead, Isabel Sanford, in 2004]: Isabel was our queen and that’s what we called her on the show. She would come in and just light up the room and start telling stories and having everybody in stitches.
  • [Of her mother’s, Ophelia Kemp’s 1967 death]: She lives through me, I mean, if cans can be recycled, why not spirits? She’s much more available now than when she was on earth and I couldn’t get her on the damn phone. Sometimes I look in the mirror and I see her and start talking to her.
  • [Of her father, Bradley Kemp]: He was just wonderful, but it wasn’t the same without a mother. I grew up weird-very sensitive and highly inhibited. I felt like I was born in the wrong time zone to the wrong people at the wrong place.
  • [Who said blacks must take the initiative in the neighborhood’s further development]: When someone else comes in, it’s going to be redeveloped for their purposes, not for yours, because it’s their money.
  • Florence represents the masses and represents what working people feel in subservient roles … Just because a person is working doesn’t make him less of a person. I say what they would like to say to their bosses.
  • [Of Regina King]: Regina knows when we’re on the set that I’m her mama. If she does something wrong, I’m going to slap her one.
  • They stopped issuing unlimited passes to the employees. Now you have to go space available and you get bumped, honey. When I get on a plane these days, I go first class.
  • ‘Put it in the universe,’ was her favorite saying, which I say [means] God said if you make one step, He’ll make two. Its the same thing. First, you have to put the idea and the thought of what you want in the universe, then you have to act on it and you have to act on it in faith.
  • [Of whom she stressed the importance of jazz in the United States]: Jazz, of course, is our heritage. Jazz is a culture, it’s not a fad. It’s up to us to see to it that it stays alive.
  • [on becoming a producer in her own right, prior to becoming an actress]: My role is being part of the decisions made. They feel that I have the focus and that I know what project is. I am part of all the note sessions. But we all have input – not just me.
  • [As to how hard it was for black actresses to find meaningful roles in Hollywood, who honestly revealed the kind of roles that she like to play]: The kind of roles I would be playing now would be such as Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment (1983). Challenging reaches and stretches where you come out of one character into another.
  • [Of her on- and off-screen chemistry with Sherman Hemsley, who played George Jefferson]: Sherman is hilarious. As a matter of fact, he is so creative, our tipples and our rhythms are so much alike that when he says something, sometimes he would say to me, ‘You know, Marla, I forgot my lines.’ I said, ‘I don’t know my lines.’ He said, ‘Yes, you do!’ I said, ‘Your mind took a picture of them the first time we did.’ So stop saying you don’t know it, and I said, ‘Anyway, you just say something and when your lips stop moving, I’ll answer them.’ So, once we come out, I was chewing gum and I’m chewing gum, and I’m looking at him, when he was looking at me, he forgot his lines, so I kept on chewing gum and looking at him and he kept looking at me, and the audience went hysterical. They laughed about 2 minutes, and in that time, he thought of his lines.
  • [Of her Florence Johnston character]: Florence was the person who was not going to take no bull from anybody, no matter how little money she made. Just because you don’t have a lot of money does not mean you have to let people walk over you.
  • [When Norman Lear liked to turned The Jeffersons (1975) stereotype on its ear]: I was a maid, but I wasn’t Hattie McDaniel. I was a black maid to a black family. George Jefferson had worked his way out of the ghetto and into New York’s East Side, although his prejudices hadn’t caught up with him. The last few seasons, we banned all ‘honkey’ jokes completely.
  • [Of Jackée Harry]: She is hysterically funny. As a matter of fact, she would say some things that were so outrageous or she’d do something and she’d have to stop and laugh herself and it would break me up, so we’d have to stop and go again.
  • [In 1989]: People come up to me all the time, little kids run up to me and identify me for their parents. I say, ‘George Jefferson sent you, right?’ If I’m going to my car, they walk me to my car, I always keep autographed pictures to hand out, too.
  • [In 1985]: As soon as I finish one thing, there’s always something else on the horizon I want to do. I don’t have any intention of retiring from anything.
  • Nothing is out of our realm, because it has nothing to do with color. As Black people, we’re not different from anyone else, other than the exterior.
  • When you’re the head of the show, you really have to take care of the other actors, and you really have to do what the producers want, what the network wants, and it was fun for me, because I learned a lot getting an opportunity to do those things.

Margaret Theresa Bradley Important Facts

  • She is most widely known to be a social butterfly.
  • Surrogate grandmother of Ian Alexander, Jr., Regina King’s daughter.
  • She along with her former 227 (1985) co-star, Jackée Harry, attended the funeral of Natalie Cole on January 11, 2016, when the singer passed away at the end of 2015.
  • Lives in Inglewood, California.
  • Is a fan of the following shows: Everybody Loves Raymond (1996), Frasier (1993), The Golden Girls (1985) (which starred good friends Bea Arthur and Betty White), Scandal (2012), Hot in Cleveland (2010) and Law & Order (1990).
  • Her favorite roles were those of Florence Johnston on The Jeffersons (1975) and Mary Jenkins on 227 (1985).
  • Alongside Norman Lloyd, William Daniels, Dick Van Dyke, Ernest Borgnine, Mickey Rooney, Betty White, Angela Lansbury, Charlotte Rae, Adam West, William Shatner, Larry Hagman, Florence Henderson, Shirley Jones and Alan Alda, Gibbs is one of the few actors in Hollywood who lived into their 80s and/or 90s without ever either retiring from acting or having stopped getting work.
  • Longtime friend of the late Rosa Parks, who attended her funeral on 2 November 2005. A decade before her death, she attended the ceremony of Honoring Martin Luther King Jr., along with Gibbs, in 1995.
  • Longtime friend of the late Ruby Dee. She got to meet Marla at her nightclub, before Marla would watch her at the play.
  • Between The Jeffersons (1975), Checking In (1981), and 227 (1985), she had roles on television for 16 consecutive seasons.
  • Recently seen as Eve Russell’s old Aunt Irma on “Passions” (1998). [August 2004]
  • Accepted “Funniest Woman of the Year” at The Commies on Comedy Central. [December 2003]
  • She was last seen on Italian TV Show “Meteore” [1999]
  • In her younger years, her parents ran a theater in a church.
  • Began her show 227 (1985) at age 54.
  • Her The Jeffersons (1975) character was originally only supposed to be in 13 episodes, but she proved so popular that she stayed on as a regular.
  • Has presented Phylicia Rashad, a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, California. [17 February 2011].
  • Worked with longtime friend, Della Reese, on episodes of both series: 227 (1985) and Touched by an Angel (1994).
  • Spent most of her childhood between Chicago and Detroit.
  • Was reunited with both ex-227 (1985) co-stars, Hal Williams and Jackée Harry, on an episode of The First Family (2012).
  • Met Hal Williams on both episodes of The Jeffersons (1975). Some eight years later, he would co-star with her on 227 (1985), as her husband.
  • Attended Northern High School in Detroit, Michigan.
  • Before she became a successful actress, she worked as a receptionist in a hotel in Detroit.
  • Was one to sign the Hollywood Squares/March of Dimes Celebrity Scrapbook, a collection of more than 100 autographs from top celebrities that was auctioned on eBay to benefit the March of Dimes.
  • Attended the 40th Anniversary Reunion of The Waltons (1971).
  • Was honored at the Gospel Goes To Hollywood Awards. [22 February 2013].
  • Became best friends with Sherman Hemsley from 1975 until his death in 2012.
  • Appeared on the front cover of Jet Magazine five times.
  • Her daughter, Angela Elayne Gibbs, along with Marla herself, both worked with Carroll O’Connor on a separate episode of In the Heat of the Night (1988). At that time, her daughter was married to Charles Mills, the series’ cinematographer.
  • Acting mentor and friend of Jackée Harry.
  • Is friends with the late Whitman Mayo, who had a recurring role on 227 (1985).
  • Was reunited with ex-227 (1985) co-star, Jackée Harry, to have a recurring role in the sitcom The First Family (2012).
  • She said in an interview, both she along with her ex-227 (1985) co-star, Jackée Harry, did not feud during production, when it was all about people who wanted to create controversy between the two ladies, hence, Gibbs wasn’t a fan of that.
  • After the death of her father, she lived with her grandfather.
  • Was named after her aunt Margaret.
  • Despite being a fan of dance, she cannot participate as a finalist on Dancing with the Stars (2005), due to her broken foot.
  • Attended the 80th birthday party of her childhood friend Della Reese on 19 August 2011.
  • Was featured on Larry Manetti’s talk show on the day of her 80th birthday in 2011, where Manetti told a story all about having lunch with her and Roger E. Mosley.
  • Childhood friends of Della Reese and Nichelle Nichols.
  • Is a health food enthusiast.
  • Like her best friend Charlotte Rae, Gibbs also wanted to be a serious actress, but she eventually wound up being a comedienne.
  • Her favorite episode of 227 (1985) was the one where Hal Williams’s character was sick and was ringing the bell, and her character was tired of hearing it.
  • Her 227 (1985) character was born on June 14, as was Gibbs in real-life.
  • Prior to her parents’ divorce, her mother moved to Detroit, Michigan, while young Marla stayed with her father and two sisters in Chicago, Illinois.
  • Had always adored Betty White’s work.
  • Grandmother of Amil.
  • Is an avid game show watcher.
  • Florence Johnston, her character from The Jeffersons (1975), reminded her of both her grandmother and aunt, and the people who were around her.
  • Attended the Mafundi Institute in Los Angeles, California, where Roger E. Mosley was her acting coach.
  • After her divorce, she moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1973, to become an actress.
  • Before she was a successful actress, she worked as a reservations agent on the telephone for United Airlines, from 1963 to 1975.
  • Attended the defunct Cortez W. Peters Business School in Chicago, Illinois.
  • Was reunited with her ex-227 (1985) co-star, Regina King, on an episode of Southland (2009). Gibbs played an unassuming grandmother who had been used by her granddaughter’s typical compassionate charm.
  • Was a tomboy in high school.
  • Used to be a spokesperson for Accent brand seasoning and Sears Department Stores in the 1980s.
  • Enjoys cooking, praying, sewing, reading the Bible, movies, playing tennis, traveling, singing, listening to jazz music, spending time with her family and acting.
  • Played the same character, Florence Johnston, on two different series: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) and House of Payne (2006).
  • She got the role of Florence Johnston on The Jeffersons (1975), because her agent wrote a letter to the Hollywood Reporter.
  • From an early age, she’s been a dog lover.
  • Her jazz club closed in 1997.
  • Is a Democrat.
  • Was inducted into The LaFemme Film Festival as Honorary Board Member in Los Angeles, California. [17 October 2010].
  • Was evicted from her grandmother’s house, when she was only 18. Her grandmother wouldn’t allow her to keep the dog in the house.
  • Had surgery for her broken foot in 2010.
  • Mary Jenkins, her character from 227 (1985), was based on her Florence Johnston character from The Jeffersons (1975).
  • Her 227 (1985) co-star, Jackée Harry, was one of the actresses to visit Alaina Reed-Hall in the hospital, just before her death. Reed played Gibbs’s best friend on 227 (1985).
  • Made a guest appearance on Wheel of Fortune (1975), where a contestant solved a puzzle on her.
  • Her daughter, Angela Elayne Gibbs, was going to work with John Forsythe.
  • Jane Wyman was also said to be another one of her idols.
  • Her mother, Ophelia Kemp, died in 1967.
  • Composed the 227 (1985) theme song, “There’s No Place Like Home”.
  • Because of her busy work schedule, she had never seen a single episode of All in the Family (1971), before being casted on The Jeffersons (1975), which that show spun-off.
  • Her favorite scenes on The Jeffersons (1975) were the Aunt Jemima episode where her character’s boss asked her to play the proper maid, and the one where Billy Dee Williams’s character finds her character and comes back.
  • Had briefly left her role on The Jeffersons (1975), during the seventh season to star in the spin-off series that flopped. She returned to The Jeffersons (1975) after her own series got canceled.
  • Before she was a successful actress and comedienne, she used to work at a garment company.
  • Changed her name from Margaret Bradley to Marla Gibbs, this was because her name was too long. She wanted to go with the ebb and flow of her newly, rechristened name.
  • Starred in a Broadway play of 227 (1985), produced by Christine Houston, which led to her starring, producing and writing in the series.
  • Before she was a successful actress and comedienne, she did everything from working at a bookbinding company to a mail clerk in the mailroom.
  • Was a best friend of the late Alaina Reed-Hall, who co-starred on 227 (1985) with her.
  • Was raised near the same city as: Hugh O’Brian, Rock Hudson and Charlton Heston.
  • Before 227 (1985) co-star, Regina King, played Gibbs’s TV daughter in both the play and the series, she was a childhood television heroine of Gibbs.
  • Her parents got divorced when she was only 4.
  • With the death of Sherman Hemsley, on July 24, 2012, she and Berlinda Tolbert are the two surviving original cast members of The Jeffersons (1975).
  • Suffered a small aneurysm, right at the same time, she had a stroke in 2006.
  • Has every episode of Pryor’s Place (1984), on videotape. She made a guest-appearance on the show.
  • Of German descent by her grandfather.
  • Her older sister, Susie Garrett, died in 2002. Her great niece Cherie Johnson co-starred with Garrett in the popular 1980s sitcom, Punky Brewster (1984).
  • Her parents, Douglas Bradley was a mechanic and Ophelia Kemp worked at a grocery store, before working in a restaurant and later on, a minister.
  • After Norman Lear found out The Jeffersons (1975) was abruptly cancelled, Gibbs was finally free to star in her own series, 227 (1985).
  • Didn’t start acting until she was 41.
  • A movie and musical buff.
  • All of her children were born and raised in Detroit, Michigan.
  • Remained good friends with Regina King and Jackée Harry, during and after 227 (1985).
  • Best known by the public for her role as Florence Johnston on The Jeffersons (1975) and for her starring role as Mary Jenkins on 227 (1985).
  • Had a crush on William Marshall.
  • Friends with: Shirley Jones, Bea Arthur, Florence Henderson, Betty White, Charlotte Rae, Esther Rolle, Gavin MacLeod, Ted Lange, Della Reese, Nichelle Nichols, Whitman Mayo, Norman Lear, Alaina Reed-Hall, Anna Maria Horsford, Ned Wertimer, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Roger E. Mosley, Billy Dee Williams, Lynn Hamilton, Lee Weaver, Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Roxie Roker, Franklin Cover, Gary Coleman, Mickey Rooney, Lee Weaver, Beverly Garland, Robert Guillaume, Phylicia Rashad, Pat Sajak, Richard Dawson, Dick Clark, Casey Kasem, Ed McMahon, Joan Rivers, Ruby Dee, Maya Angelou, Robert Wagner and Hal Williams.
  • As a young girl in the 1940s, she would frequently watch movies. Among her idols were : Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Joan Fontaine, Clark Gable, Tyrone Power and Vivien Leigh.
  • The second of three children.
  • Her father, Douglas Bradley, passed away in 1947.
  • Mother of Angela, Dorian and Joseph.
  • Honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
  • Married at age 13, she had three children by the time she was 20.
  • High school classmate of Sam Cooke.
  • Graduated from Wendell Phillips High School in Chicago, Illinois, in 1949.
  • Younger sister of Susie Garrett.
  • Since leaving TV in 1990, Marla has been operating the Vision Theater Complex (which closed in 1997) and Marla’s Memory Lane jazz supper club, both in Los Angeles.
  • She used to work for United Airlines, and she continued working there even after she landed a part on The Jeffersons (1975). She did not quit until the show became a hit.

Margaret Theresa Bradley Filmography

Title Year Status Character Role
Lemon 2017 post-production Lily Actress
Please Stand By 2017 completed Rose Actress
Adventures of Old Man 2016 Short completed Actress
The Last Revolutionary 2016 post-production Millie Actress
Love Jacked post-production Rose Actress
Tax Season announced Deshawn Grandma (rumored) Actress
Second Sight 2016 TV Movie Nana Actress
The Carmichael Show 2016 TV Series Francis Actress
Childrens Hospital 2016 TV Series Flossie Actress
American Horror Story 2015 TV Series Cassie Royale Actress
The Man in 3B 2015 Ms. Mamie Actress
The Blexicans 2015 TV Series Lillian Actress
Hot in Cleveland 2015 TV Series Marcia Actress
Scandal 2015 TV Series Rose Actress
Grantham & Rose 2014 Rose Price Actress
Charlie Murphy’s Law 2014 TV Series Vera Jenkins Actress
Old Soul 2014 TV Movie Agnes Actress
Forbidden Woman 2013 Mrs. Simmons Actress
The First Family 2012-2013 TV Series Grandma Eddy Actress
Mr. Box Office 2013 TV Series Florence Johnston Actress
Madea’s Witness Protection 2012 Hattie Actress
C’mon Man 2012 Mrs. Crabtree Actress
Who Killed Soul Glow? 2012 Actress
Southland 2012 TV Series Ms. Miller Actress
House of Payne 2011 TV Series Florence Johnston Actress
Sunnyview 2010 Short Mrs. Harris Actress
Devil’s Land 2009 Short Judge Martha M. Levine Actress
Just Like Family 2009 Short Mabel Jenkins Actress
Afro Ninja 2009 Video Aunt Mary Actress
The What Goes Around Short Film 2009 2009 Short Ms. Lacey Actress
Lincoln Heights 2008 TV Series Hazel Roberson Actress
The Heart Specialist 2006 Ms. Overwood Actress
The Ties That Bind 2006 Short Delores Actress
Love on Layaway 2005 Video Narrator Actress
Cold Case 2005 TV Series Georgie – 2005 Actress
ER 2005 TV Series Cherise Barnes Actress
Listen Up 2004 TV Series Jackie Widmer Actress
Passions 2004 TV Series Aunt Irma Actress
Arli$$ 2002 TV Series Actress
The Rerun Show 2002 TV Series Dr. Beamish Actress
The Hughleys 1998-2002 TV Series Hattie Mae Hughley Actress
The King of Queens 2002 TV Series Nana Louise Actress
Judging Amy 2001 TV Series Zella Van Exel Actress
The Brothers 2001 Mary West Actress
Touched by an Angel 2000 TV Series Millie Actress
Stanley’s Gig 2000 Eleanor Whitney Actress
The Visit 2000/I Lois Waters Actress
Dawson’s Creek 1999 TV Series Mrs. Fran Boyd Actress
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child 1997-1999 TV Series Grandmother / Old Mother Hubbard Actress
Lost & Found 1999/I Enid Actress
Foolish 1999 Odetta Actress
Martial Law 1999 TV Series Delores Samuels / Dolores Parker Actress
Border to Border 1998 Dela Actress
101 Dalmatians: The Series 1997-1998 TV Series Duchess Actress
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 1996 TV Series Florence Johnston Actress
Martin 1995 TV Series Miss Minnie Actress
Dream On 1995 TV Series Mrs. Perry Actress
Burke’s Law 1995 TV Series Actress
Lily in Winter 1994 TV Movie Maize Covington Actress
Empty Nest 1993 TV Series Josephine Douglas Actress
In the Heat of the Night 1993 TV Series Lilly Baker Actress
The Meteor Man 1993 Mrs. Reed, Jeff’s Mother Actress
A Different World 1993 TV Series Principal Shaw Actress
Last Breeze of Summer 1991 Short Actress
Up Against the Wall 1991 Louise Bradley Actress
Menu for Murder 1990 TV Movie Marty Hallard Actress
227 1985-1990 TV Series Mary Jenkins Actress
Drug Free Kids: A Parents’ Guide 1986 Video Actress
The Jeffersons 1975-1985 TV Series Florence Johnston Actress
Pryor’s Place 1984 TV Series Miss Stern Actress
The Love Boat 1981 TV Series Janet Dalton Actress
Checking In 1981 TV Series Florence Johnston Actress
You Can’t Take It with You 1979 TV Movie Rheba Actress
Passing Through 1977 Secretary Actress
Arthur Hailey’s the Moneychangers 1976 TV Mini-Series Beth Euphrates Actress
Barney Miller 1975 TV Series Mrs. McBee Actress
The Missing Are Deadly 1975 TV Movie Nurse #1 Actress
Black Belt Jones 1974 Bartender (uncredited) Actress
Sweet Jesus, Preacherman 1973 Beverly Solomon Actress
227 1985-1990 TV Series creative consultant – 114 episodes Miscellaneous
Precious 2009/II performer: “227 End Credits No Place Like Home” Soundtrack
227 1985-1988 TV Series performer – 5 episodes Soundtrack
227 TV Series story – 4 episodes, 1987 – 1990 teleplay – 1 episode, 1990 Writer
The Jeffersons 1984 TV Series story by – 1 episode Writer
Just Like Family 2009 Short associate producer Producer
227 1985 TV Series producer – 1 episode Producer
Amos ‘n’ Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy 1983 TV Movie documentary special thanks Thanks
Oprah: Where Are They Now? 2016 TV Series Herself Self
Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul 2016 TV Series Herself Self
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You 2016 Documentary Herself Self
Pioneers of Television 2013-2014 TV Mini-Series documentary Herself Self
Actors Entertainment 2014 TV Series Herself Self
Life After 2012-2013 TV Series Herself Self
EOTM Awards 2013 2013 TV Special Herself Self
Inside Edition 2012 TV Series documentary Herself Self
The Wendy Williams Show 2011 TV Series Herself Self
The Mo’Nique Show 2011 TV Series Herself Self
Leimert Park Voices 2010 Documentary Herself Self
Way Black When 2010 TV Movie Herself Self
The 8th Annual TV Land Awards 2010 TV Special Herself – Glee Club Self
Today 2010 TV Series Herself Self
The Making of ‘Devil’s Land’ 2009 Video documentary Herself Self
The Florence Henderson Show 2009 TV Series Herself – guest Self
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy 2009 Documentary Himself Self
Hollywood Desperado: Rebel or Royalty 2008 Video documentary Herself Self
Back to the Grind 2007 TV Series Herself Self
Entertainment Tonight 2007 TV Series Herself Self
TV Land Confidential 2007 TV Series documentary Herself – Interviewee Self
In the Cutz 2006 TV Series Guest Self
The John Kerwin Show 2006 TV Series Herself Self
Chappelle’s Show 2006 TV Series Herself Self
Living in TV Land 2006 TV Series documentary Herself Self
The Surreal Life 2006 TV Series Herself Self
The 4th Annual TV Land Awards 2006 TV Special Herself Self
The 100 Greatest TV Quotes & Catchphrases 2006 TV Mini-Series documentary Herself Self
5 Keys to a Healthy Heart 2005 Video short Herself Self
TV’s Greatest Sidekicks 2004 TV Special Herself Self
227: Stories from the Stoop 2004 Video documentary short Herself Self
BET Comedy Awards 2004 TV Special Herself Self
SoapTalk 2004 TV Series Herself Self
Hollywood Squares 1999-2004 TV Series Herself Self
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years 2004 Video documentary Herself Self
The Commies 2003 TV Special documentary Herself Self
CBS at 75 2003 TV Special documentary Self
I Love the ’80s 2002 TV Series documentary Herself Self
Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television 2002 TV Movie documentary Herself Self
Weakest Link 2001 TV Series Herself Self
Truth Behind the Sitcom Scandals 4 2000 TV Movie documentary Herself Self
Votes for Women 1997 Documentary short Self
The Geraldo Rivera Show 1995 TV Series Herself Self
Vicki! 1993 TV Series Herself Self
The Chuck Woolery Show 1991 TV Series Herself Self
Futures 1991 TV Series Herself Self
Motown 30: What’s Goin’ On! 1990 TV Special Herself Self
The 4th Annual Soul Train Music Awards 1990 TV Special Herself – Presenter Self
The Arsenio Hall Show 1989-1990 TV Series Herself Self
The 5th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards 1990 TV Special Herself – Host Self
The More You Know 1989 TV Series Herself Self
Ebony/Jet Showcase 1983-1989 TV Series Herself Self
The Pat Sajak Show 1989 TV Series Herself Self
Wheel of Fortune 1989 TV Series Herself – Special Guest Self
The New Hollywood Squares 1986-1989 TV Series Herself / Herself – Panelist Self
20th NAACP Image Awards 1988 TV Special Herself – Presenter Self
Living the Dream: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 1988 TV Special Herself Self
The 9th Annual American Black Achievement Awards 1988 TV Special Herself Self
Your Alcohol I.Q. 1988 Video documentary short Herself Self
Circus of the Stars #12 1987 TV Special documentary Herself – Performer Self
The Wil Shriner Show 1987 TV Series Herself Self
The Late Show 1987 TV Series Herself – Guest Host Self
The 13th Annual People’s Choice Awards 1987 TV Special Herself – Co-Presenter: Favourite Television Comedy Program Self
19th Annual NAACP Image Awards 1987 TV Special Herself – Presenter Self
Fame, Fortune and Romance 1986 TV Series Herself Self
Hour Magazine 1985-1986 TV Series Herself Self
Star’s Table 1986 TV Series Herself Self
Super Password 1986 TV Series Herself Self
NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration 1986 TV Special documentary Herself Self
Orange Bowl Parade 1985 TV Special Herself Self
Lou Rawls Parade of Stars 1985 TV Series Herself Self
The 37th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards 1985 TV Special Herself – Nominee: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Self
Night of 100 Stars II 1985 TV Movie Herself Self
The 42nd Annual Golden Globe Awards 1985 TV Special Herself – Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV Self
The $10,000 Pyramid 1984 TV Series Herself Self
The 36th Primetime Emmy Awards 1984 TV Special Herself – Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Self
Hot Potato 1984 TV Series Herself Self
The 5th Annual Black Achievement Awards 1984 TV Special Herself Self
Star Search 1983 TV Series Introducer Self
The 35th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards 1983 TV Special Herself – Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy, Variety or Music Series Self
Amos ‘n’ Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy 1983 TV Movie documentary Herself Self
CBS All American Thanksgiving Day Parade 1982 TV Special As Herself Self
The 34th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards 1982 TV Special Herself – Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series Self
Family Feud 1980-1982 TV Series Herself Self
The John Davidson Show 1981 TV Series Herself Self
Kids Are People, Too 1981 TV Series Herself Self
The 33rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards 1981 TV Special Herself – Nominee: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series Self
All-Star Family Feud Special 1981 TV Series Herself – Celebrity Contestant Self
Everything Is Terrible: The Movie 2009 Video Herself Archive Footage
50 Years of Funny Females 1995 TV Movie documentary Herself Archive Footage
Basic Instinct 1992 Florence Johnston in The Jeffersons (uncredited) Archive Footage

Margaret Theresa Bradley Awards

Year Award Ceremony Nomination Movie Category
2013 EOTM Award EOTM Awards Outstanding Actress in TV Series The First Family (2012) Won
2009 LA Femme Filmmaker Award LA Femme International Film Festival Pioneer Award Won
2000 Best Supporting Actress Method Fest Feature Film The Visit (2000) Won
1982 Image Award Image Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Series or Special The Jeffersons (1975) Won
2013 EOTM Award EOTM Awards Outstanding Actress in TV Series The First Family (2012) Nominated
2009 LA Femme Filmmaker Award LA Femme International Film Festival Pioneer Award Nominated
2000 Best Supporting Actress Method Fest Feature Film The Visit (2000) Nominated
1982 Image Award Image Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Series or Special The Jeffersons (1975) Nominated