Irma P. Hall

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Irma P. Hall (born Irma Dolores Player Hall on June 3, 1935 in Beaumont, Texas) is a Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize winning American character actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows since the 1970s. She is well-known for playing matriarchal figures in films such as A Family Thing, Soul Food and The Ladykillers.

[edit] Biography

Hall's first acting role was in an independent film called Book of Numbers at the age of 38. Hall had been a teacher of languages for almost 20 years in Dallas, Texas when actor/director Raymond 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 founded a repertory theatre in Dallas.

Hall's personality and age made her a natural to be cast as middle-aged, strong authority figures. She worked steadily in films and TV throughout the 1980s. But it wasn't until her role as the loving Aunt T. in 1996's A Family Thing when 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. The success of that film helped launch Hall's career as a major supporting actor in the late-90's and early 2000s. Sizable roles in major films such as Nothing to Lose and Steel followed. Hall then landed the role as Big Mama Joe 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. But shortly before the film's release, 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. Fortunately, she made a full recovery and was able to continue her career. She still lives in Dallas, Texas with her family.