Irma P. Hall, ‘Soul Food’ Actress, Dies at 91
WHO:
The Hollywood Reporter - Hall’s father was a saxophonist who played with big bands, and her mother was a housekeeper.
CNN - Hall’s acting credits included *A Family Thing*, *Beloved*, *Patch Adams*, *Collateral* and Tyler Perry’s *Meet the Browns*.
CNN - Hall portrayed Aunt T., a blind woman who counsels two half brothers played by James Earl Jones and Robert Duvall, in *A Family Thing*.
CNN - Hall was a longtime member and Church Mother at Inspiring Body of Christ Church, where she read to children at the church’s school and participated in its theater ministry.
CNN - Hall was born Irma Dolores Player.
CNN - Her daughter, Irma Hall Crayton, said Hall “started as a teacher in the classroom but ended up being a teacher to the world.”
Deadline - Irma P. Hall was an actor who was 91.
Variety - Irma P. Hall was an actress, author, poet, educator, and public speaker, according to a statement from her family.
Variety - Hall played Josephine “Big Mama” Joseph in the 1997 dramedy *Soul Food*.
Deadline - Hall portrayed “Big Mama Jo” in the 1997 film *Soul Food*.
Deadline - Hall played Minerva, described as a “root doctor,” in *Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil*.
Variety - Hall appeared in *The Ladykillers*; the article title also identifies her as an actress in the film.
Reddit Movies - The post describes Hall as an actress in *The Ladykillers* and *Collateral*.
WHAT:
The Hollywood Reporter - Hall was a preacher in *Square Dance* (1987), a nurse in *Backdraft* (1991), and later played Meemaw, a pie-making neighbor, in the Sundance TV series *Hap and Leonard*.
The Hollywood Reporter - Hall co-founded the Dallas Minority Repertory Theatre, where she served as an administrator and performed.
The Hollywood Reporter - During teaching breaks, Hall worked as a reporter for *The Dallas Express*, a weekly newspaper focused on African Americans.
The Hollywood Reporter - Hall appeared as the Ewings’ housekeeper Tilly on CBS’ *Dallas* in 1978 and in telefilms featuring the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders over the following two years.
The Hollywood Reporter - Boyz II Men’s “A Song for Mama,” written and produced by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, centered on Hall’s *Soul Food* character.
The Hollywood Reporter - Hall said in a 2008 interview, “People stop me in Chicago, I’m Big Mama,” and described fans calling to her across the street and asking for hugs.
The Hollywood Reporter - Hall was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in Austin in 2005; Joel and Ethan Coen introduced her.
The Hollywood Reporter - The annual Irma P. Hall Black Theatre Awards, also called The Irmas, were founded in 2015 to celebrate artistic excellence across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
The Hollywood Reporter - Hall’s survivors included her daughter, Irma Hall Crayton.
CNN - Hall said in a 1996 interview with The Associated Press, “I was just concentrating on developing this craft. I guess you really never know where you are, you probably think you are on a lower rung than you really are.”
CNN - Hall continued teaching while taking acting roles, then made performance her full-time work in the 1980s.
CNN - Hall’s performance in *Soul Food* earned her an NAACP Image Award and led to her reprising Big Mama in the television series based on the film.
CNN - Hall received a Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize for playing Marva Munson in the 2004 comedy *The Ladykillers*.
CNN - Hall helped establish the Dallas Minority Repertory Theatre and voiced Great Aunt T. in the 2001 *Rugrats* Kwanzaa special.
CNN - After a 2004 car crash, Hall underwent open-heart surgery and suffered a broken arm and crushed ankle.
CNN - Hall said of *The Ladykillers*, “I loved the whole thing,” and said she hugged a pillow signed by Tom Hanks and the Coen brothers when she missed them.
Deadline - Hall died at age 91; her family announced her death.
Variety - Hall died at age 91, and her family confirmed her death.
Variety - Her family said, “Irma P. Hall was a beloved actress, author, poet, educator and public speaker whose contributions touched countless lives throughout her remarkable career.”
WHERE:
CNN - Hall was born in Beaumont, Texas, raised in Chicago, and taught in Dallas public schools.
Deadline - Hall died in Dallas.
WHEN:
The Hollywood Reporter - Hall spent 27 years as a schoolteacher.
CNN - Hall was 60 when *A Family Thing* brought her a major film role.
CNN - Hall taught English and foreign languages in Dallas public schools for more than two decades.
WHY:
Deadline - The cause of Hall’s death was not specified in the available article text.
HOW:
The Hollywood Reporter - Hall required open-heart surgery to repair a punctured aorta after a serious car accident during a Chicago snowstorm.
CNN - Raymond St. Jacques cast Hall in his 1973 film *Book of Numbers* after hearing her recite poetry in Dallas.
(UPDATED November 12, 2026 09:59 UTC)
Actress Irma P. Hall, beloved as Big Mama in “Soul Food,” has died at 91. Hall spent decades teaching before pursuing acting full-time, building a distinguished screen career. Her roles included “The Ladykillers,” earning her a Cannes jury prize, and “Collateral.”
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(UPDATED November 12, 2026 00:00 UTC)
Actor Irma P. Hall, beloved for *Soul Food*, has died in Dallas at 91. Her performance as Big Mama earned an NAACP Image Award and inspired a television-series reprise. A longtime teacher, Hall also appeared in *The Ladykillers*, earning its Cannes jury prize.
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(UPDATED November 11, 2026 23:01 UTC)
Actress Irma P. Hall, beloved for playing Big Mama in “Soul Food,” has died at 91. Her performance earned an NAACP Image Award, and she reprised the role in television. Hall also won a Cannes jury prize for “The Ladykillers” and helped establish Dallas’s Minority Repertory Theatre.
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(UPDATED November 11, 2026 21:19 UTC)
Actress Irma P. Hall has died at 91 in Dallas, her family announced. She was best known for playing Big Mama in the 1997 film *Soul Food*. Hall also appeared in *Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil*, *The Ladykillers*, and *Collateral*.