Irma P. Hall

Irma P. Hall
Born	(1935-06-03) June 3, 1935 Beaumont, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Website	www.irmaphall.com

Irma Pamela Hall (born June 3, 1935) is an American actress who has appeared in numerous films and television shows since the 1970s. She is best known for playing matriarchal figures in the films A Family Thing, Soul Food and The Ladykillers.

Career

Hall's first acting role was in an independent film called Book of Numbers at the age of 36. Hall had been a teacher of languages for many years in Dallas, Texas when actor/director Raymond St. Jacques hired her as interim publicist for Book of Numbers. St Jacques saw her performing at a poetry reading. He liked her so much he offered her a role in his film on the spot. Hall discovered a love for acting and soon co-founded a repertory theatre in Dallas.

Hall's personality and age made her a natural to be cast as a middle-aged, strong authority figure. She worked steadily in films and TV throughout the 1980s. But it was not until her role as the loving Aunt T. in 1996's A Family Thing that critics and audiences began to take notice of her talents. She won the Chicago Film Critics Association Award and the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role and the success of that film helped launch Hall's career as a major supporting actor in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Sizable roles in major films such as Nothing to Lose and Steel followed. Hall then landed the role as Big Mama Joseph in the film Soul Food. The film was a hit at the box office, prompting a television spinoff, Soul Food: The Series, in which Hall reprised her role.

She landed another acclaimed role when she was cast in the 2004 remake of The Ladykillers. She won a special Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and an Image Award for her performance.

Personal life

Hall was born Irma Dolores Player Hall in Beaumont, Texas, the daughter of Josephine Hall. She was raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. Her father was a saxophone player who performed jazz music. Hall attended Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Iowa.

Shortly before the film release of The Ladykillers, Hall was seriously injured in a car accident in Chicago. In the midst of a snowstorm, she lost control of her vehicle, crossed lanes into oncoming traffic and hit another car head on. She underwent emergency open-heart surgery for a puncture wound to her aorta caused by a broken rib. In addition, Hall also suffered a shattered ankle and a broken arm. Hall was cited for driving with a suspended license and not staying in her lane. She made a full recovery and was able to continue her career.

Hall lives in Dallas, Texas with her family; she is the mother of two and the grandmother of four (as of 2001). Hall also had a recurring role on the 80's hit television show Dallas.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1973	Book of Numbers	Georgia Brown
1982	Split Image	Maid
1986	On Valentine's Day	Aunt Charity
1987	Square Dance	Preacher Dixon
1987	They Still Call Me Bruce	Mrs. Brown
1991	Backdraft	Nurse
1992	Straight Talk	Ethel
1992	The Babe	Fanny Baily
1992	Mo' Money	Lady on Phone
1996	A Family Thing	Aunt T	Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated —Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress
1997	Buddy	Emma
1997	Nothing to Lose	Bertha 'Mama' Davidson
1997	Steel	Grandma Odessa
1997	Soul Food	Mother Joe	NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
1997	Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil	Minerva
1998	Beloved	Ella
1998	Patch Adams	Joletta
1999	A Slipping-Down Life	Clotelia
2002	Don't Let Go	Hazel
2002	Bad Company	Mrs. Banks
2004	The Ladykillers	Marva Munson	Cannes Film Festival - Jury Prize Women Film Critics Circle Award for Best Comedic Performance Black Reel Award for Best Actress Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
2004	Collateral	Ida
2005	P.N.O.K.	Mildred Burnett	Short film
2005	Gift for the Living	Carrie Mae	Short film
2008	Meet the Browns	Mildred
2008	Uncross the Stars	Lulu
2008	Rain	Rosalie
2009	The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans	Binnie Rogers
2009	My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?	Mrs. Roberts
2009	Hurricane Season	Grandma Rose
2011	3 Blind Saints	Sister Louise
2011	Red	Mother Mabel	Short film
2012	Jayne Mansfield's Car	Dorothy
2012	Wolf	Brenda
2012	Changing the Game	Grandma Barnes
2012	Hiding in Plain Sight	Ida Mae Blackmon
2013	Lady Luck	Mrs. Bailey
2014	Night Vet	Mabel
2015	Steps of Faith	Dorothy Lee

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	Dallas	Tilly	Episode: "Bar-B-Que"
1979	Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders	Dora	TV film
1980	Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders II		TV film
1980	Skyward	Mrs. Sinclair	TV film
1981	Crisis at Central High	Lulu Richards	TV film
1981	Broken Promise	Williston	TV film
1984	He's Not Your Son	Nurse Anne Hall	TV film
1984	Dallas	Rosa	Episode: "Shadow of a Doubt"
1985	The Long Hot Summer	Cecilia Howlett	TV film
1986	The George McKenna Story		TV film
1987	Uncle Tom's Cabin	Mammy	TV film
1990	The Kid Who Loved Christmas	Mrs. Smith	TV film
1992	In the Shadow of a Killer	Foreman	TV film
1993	In the Company of Darkness	Apartment Manager	TV film
1993	Missing Persons	Mrs. Davison	Episodes: "I Can't Even Imagine", "Right Neighborhood... Wrong Door"
1994	Missing Persons	Mrs. Davison	Episode: "What Do You Want... A Signed Confession?"
1995	Wishbone	Dr. Thelma Brown	Episode: "Digging Up the Past"
1996	To Sir, with Love II	Old Woman	TV film
1998	The Love Letter	Mae Mullen	TV film
1998	Touched by an Angel	Effie Taylor	Episode: "Seek and Ye Shall Find"
1998	Getting Personal	Mrs. Buckley	Episode: "Guess Who Else Is Coming to Dinner?"
1999	A Lesson Before Dying	Miss Emma	TV film Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Actress: T.V. Movie/Cable
1999	Judging Amy	Beverly Raymond	Episode: "An Impartial Bias"
2000	7th Heaven	Hattie	Episode: "All By Myself"
2000	Something to Sing About	Memaw	TV film
2000-2002	Soul Food	Mama Joe	Regular role (14 episodes)
2001	A Rugrats Kwanzaa Special	Great Aunt T (voice)	TV film
2001	A Girl Thing	Alice	TV film
2001	All Souls	Nurse Glory St. Claire	Recurring role (5 episodes) Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
2002	Our America	June Jones	TV film
2002	The Bernie Mac Show	Aunt Liva	Episodes: "Sweet Home Chicago: Parts 1 & 2"
2002	Miss Lettie and Me	Rose Griffin	TV film CAMIE Award for Best Performance
2003	An Unexpected Love	Mary	TV film
2006	Take 3	Mildred Burnett	TV film
2010-2011	Diary of a Single Mom	Dessa	Recurring role (5 episodes)
2011	Harry's Law	Anna Nicholson	Episode: "Heat of Passion"
2011	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Lorna Talcott	Episode: "Reparations"
2012	The Game		Episode: "Grand Opening, Grand Closing"
2012	Chicago Fire	Mrs. Grady	Episode: "One Minute"
2013	Getting On	Cordelia Meade	Episode: "The Concert"

Awards and nominations

• Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
  • 2005, Best Actress: The Ladykillers (Nominated)
• Black Reel Awards
  • 2005, Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy: The Ladykillers (Winner)
  • 2000, Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series/Television Movie: A Lesson Before Dying (Nominated)
• 2005, Jury Prize for Acting, Cannes Film Festival: The Ladykillers

External links

• Irma P. Hall at the Internet Movie Database