Irma P. Hall, known for roles in “Soul Food” and “The Ladykillers,” died Tuesday in Dallas at age 91, her family said.
The Story
Irma P. Hall, the veteran actor known for playing Big Mama in the 1997 film “Soul Food” and Marva Munson in “The Ladykillers,” died Tuesday in Dallas at 91, with her family announcing her death on Wednesday.
The family said no cause of death was provided.
Hall became widely known as Big Mama, the family’s steadying force in “Soul Food,” a role that earned her an NAACP Image Award and led to her return as the character in the television series based on the film.
She also received a Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize for her performance as Marva Munson, a Bible-reading landlady opposite Tom Hanks in “The Ladykillers.”
Born Irma Dolores Player on June 3, 1935, in Beaumont, Texas, Hall was raised in Chicago and later returned to Texas for college.
Before acting full time, she taught English and foreign languages in Dallas public schools for more than two decades, and her path to film roles began when actor and director Raymond St. Jacques heard her recite poetry in Dallas and cast her in his 1973 film “Book of Numbers.”
In addition to her screen work, Hall helped establish the Dallas Minority Repertory Theatre and remained involved in developing young artists.
Her credits included theater, television and film, including appearances in “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” “Beloved,” “Patch Adams,” and the 2004 Tyler Perry film “Meet the Browns.”
The acting included voice work as well: Hall voiced Great Aunt T. in the 2001 “Rugrats” Kwanzaa special.
Hall’s later life included a 2004 period of recovery after serious injuries suffered in a car crash, including open-heart surgery, a broken arm and a crushed ankle.
In Dallas, she was a longtime member and Church Mother at Inspiring Body of Christ Church, where her family said she read to children at the church’s school and stayed active in its theater ministry.
Her daughter, Irma Hall Crayton, said in the family’s announcement: “She started as a teacher in the classroom but ended up being a teacher to the world.”
← More stories