Irma P. Hall

Irma 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, Texaswhen 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 that 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 Thingthat 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 actress in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Sizable roles in major films such as Nothing to Lose and Steelfollowed. 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 Festivaland an Image Award for her performance.
== Personal life ==
Hall was born Irma Dolores Player Hall in Beaumont, Texas, the daughter of Josephine Hall.[1] She was raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois.[1] Her father was a saxophone player who performed jazz music.[2] Hall attended Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Iowa.[3]
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 aortacaused 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).[4]
== 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"
2017 	Hap and Leonard 	Meemaw 	Regular role (6 episodes)
== 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