BELIEVING IN THE Dream

IN PART 3 OF OUR BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION, THE TWO GENERATIONS OF ACTRESSES HONOR THE PEOPLE WHO'VE INSPIRED THEM MOST: EACH OTHER

- DAVID WALTERS

Of the many lessons Angela Gibbs learned from her mother, legendary actress Marla Gibbs, the most important one might be: Don't quit. The second most important? Know when to quit.

"She'd fall asleep sometimes on the set of The Jeffersons,” Angela, 68, recalls of Marla's early years on the long-running sitcom, which debuted in 1975, just as Angela was starting her own successful acting career. "They asked, "Why are you so tired?' She answered, Because I leave here and go to my other job!"

Marla, who worked as a United Airlines reservationist for 13 years-including during her first two seasons playing feisty maid Florence Johnston, a role that would ultimately earn her five Emmy nominations-says she was waiting for a sign: "The producers were like, 'You're still working there?" I said, 'You haven't told me nothin' to make me quit!" The show soon paid her to take a leave of absence, and the Chicago native, now 91, went all-in on TV stardom.

Perseverance and knowing their worth have served the two generations of Gibbs women well through a shared five decades in show business, specifically as they've worked to tell stories that present Black characters authentically. In 1981 that goal led them to found the Crossroads Arts Academy and Theatre, which operated until 1997. (Marla's sitcom 227was adapted by Norman Lear from a play first staged there.) "When we see ourselves portrayed [truthfully], we can also portray what could be," says Angela, who's logged dozens of acting credits, including guest roles on Nip/Tuck and This Is Us, while also working as a Broadway producer and an acting coach on films like Birdman and The Revenant. Adds Marla: "That was our reality. We wanted to represent our community." Here they talk about being connected by love and acting.

People might not know you started acting around the same time.