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Irma P. Hall (born June 3, 1935) is an African American actress who has appeared in numerous films and television shows since the 1970s. She is best known for playing matriarchal figures the films A Family Thing, Soul Food and The Ladykillers. 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... MORE

Irma P. Hall (born June 3, 1935) is an African American actress who has appeared in numerous films and television shows since the 1970s. She is best known for playing matriarchal figures the films A Family Thing, Soul Food and The Ladykillers. 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 was not 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 LESS