Overview
- Her family confirmed late Wednesday that Hall died on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Dallas; no cause of death has been released and the family has asked for privacy.
- She was best known for playing Josephine “Big Mama” in the 1997 film Soul Food, a role that earned her the NAACP Image Award for outstanding supporting actress.
- Hall won a special Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for The Ladykillers and appeared in films including A Family Thing, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Beloved, Patch Adams, and Collateral.
- Before acting full time she spent more than two decades teaching English and foreign languages in Dallas public schools and was discovered by Raymond St. Jacques while reciting poetry.
- Hall helped found the Dallas Minority Repertory Theatre, remained a longtime Church Mother and mentor in Dallas, and is honored locally through the annual Irma P. Hall Black Theatre Awards.