The Biography

Angela Elayne Gibbs is an actress and writer. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Angela has a diverse background in the entertainment industry that spans 5 decades. As an actor, her credits include recurring roles on "Hacks," "On My Block," and "SWAT." As a regular on Aaron McGruder's "Black Jesus," her character, Ms. Tudi, broke out as one of the leads. Her films include "Love Jacked," in which she starred with her mother, Marla Gibbs; "Stone Cold Christmas"; and "Straight Outta Compton," in which she portrayed Ice Cube's mother. As an acting coach, Gibbs has worked with Alejandro G. Inarritu, coaching on both his Oscar-winning films, "Birdman" and "The Revenant." Gibbs coached newcomer Demetrius Shipp for the role of Tupac in the upcoming "All Eyes On Me," and Richie Merritt on "White Boy Rick" for critically-acclaimed director Yaan Demange. While attending the American Film Institute, Gibbs cast the short film, "Last Breeze of Summer," that won an Academy-Award nomination, and she received AFI's Mary Pickford Award for directing. Her short film "Ties That Bind" won the HBO Shorts Award, was featured during BET's Best Short series, and won Best Short at the prestigious Pan African Film Festival. When Angela produced the play "227," the success buzz caught the attention of Norman Lear, who helped develop it into the NBC hit series. Angela is the recipient of two NAACP Image Awards for producing "227" and for the Broadway play "Checkmates," starring Denzel Washington and Ruby Dee. Gibbs wrote the Trumpet Awards for its first 10 years and taught at Spelman College's Drama Department. Angela is developing two features that she will direct.