BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
Irma P. Hall
| Irma P. Hall | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 3, 1935 Beaumont, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Website | |
| www | |
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 Lady killers.
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 theKansas 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.[1] She was raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois.[1] Her father was asaxophone 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 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).[4] 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 | |
| 1997 | Buddy | Emma | |
| 1997 | Nothing to Lose | Bertha 'Mama' Davidson | |
| 1997 | Steel | Grandma Odessa | |
| 1997 | Soul Food | Mother Joe | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | Pre-production |
| 2014 | Night Vet | Mabel | Post-production |
| 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 |
| 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) |
| 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 |
| 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
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