Beloved actress Irma P. Hall, whose portrayal of Big Mama in the 1997 film Soul Food made her a cherished figure in Black cinema, has died.
Hall passed away Tuesday, Nov. 10, surrounded by loved ones, her family confirmed in a press release sent to BOSSIP on Wednesday.
“Irma P Hall was a beloved actress, author, poet, educator, and public speaker whose contributions touched countless lives throughout her remarkable career,” the family said in a press release. “Her legacy of talent, dedication, and compassion will continue to inspire generations to come.”
She was 91. The cause of death has not been released.
For generations of movie watchers, Hall was affectionately known as Josephine “Big Mama Joe” Joseph, from Soul Food for her portrayal of the family matriarch, earning her an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.
Her impact on Soul Food also extended to its beloved soundtrack. According to the family’s official press release, Boyz II Men’s hit”A Song for Mama,” written and produced by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, was created with Hall’s character in mind.
Hall’s career spanned nearly five decades, with appearances in A Family Thing, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Beloved, Patch Adams, Collateral, Meet the Browns and The Ladykillers. Her performance opposite Tom Hanks in the latter earned her a prestigious Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
More than an actress, Hall dedicated more than two decades to teaching English and foreign languages in Dallas public schools. Born in Beaumont, Texas, and raised in Chicago, she later attended Texas College and began acting after director Raymond St. Jacques discovered her at a poetry reading.
She made her film debut in 1973’s Book of Numbers, launching her second career that would eventually earn her an honorary doctorate from Texas College and induction into the Texas Film Hall of Fame.
Beyond Hollywood, Hall’s family reports that she remained deeply devoted to her Dallas community, helping establish the Dallas Minority Repertory Theatre and inspiring the creation of the Irma P. Hall Black Theatre Awards, which recognize excellence in local theater.
She was also a cherished Church Mother at Inspiring Body of Christ Church, where she frequently read to children and participated in the church’s theater ministry.
Her longtime pastor, Rickie G. Rush, who was once her student, reflected on their decades-long relationship in an emotional tribute.
“When I was just 14 years old, Mother Hall looked at me during one of our public speaking lessons and told me, ‘One day, you will be my pastor.’ Little did I know then how those words would come to pass or how much she would mean to me and our church family,” Rush said in a statement provided to BOSSIP.
“Today, we celebrate the extraordinary life of a woman whose faith, wisdom and love touched so many. Our beloved Church Mother, Irma P. Hall, has taken her final bow on the stage of life and stepped into eternity. While we mourn her passing, we are forever grateful for the remarkable legacy she leaves behind.”
Hall’s only daughter, Irma Hall Crayton, also honored her mother’s lifelong commitment to teaching and touching lives.
“She started as a teacher in the classroom but ended up being a teacher to the world,” Crayton said in a official statement. “My mom used to always say, ‘To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.’ And she was just that to many people.”
The family has requested privacy as they mourn and said funeral arrangements and additional celebrations of Hall’s life will be announced at a later date.
May Irma P. “Big Mama” Hall rest in eternal peace.
