‘Soul Food’ star Irma P. Hall dies at 91; cause of death not disclosed

Actress Irma P. Hall, best known for playing Big Mama in the 1997 film Soul Food, has reportedly died at the age of 91. Fox Local reported her death on November 11, 2026. No cause of death has been shared so far. Irma P.

Hall dies at 91 (Brandon Hammond/Instagram)Hall spent decades working in films, television and theatre. However, acting was not her first career. She worked as a schoolteacher in Dallas for 20 years before deciding to pursue acting full time in 1984.

Born Irma Dolores Player on June 3, 1935, in Beaumont, Texas, Hall moved with her family to Chicago in 1942. Her father was a jazz musician who introduced her to performances at clubs and local events. According to The HistoryMakers, Hall studied at Briar Cliff College in Iowa before transferring to Texas College in Tyler, Texas, where she focused on foreign language education, including French and Spanish.

Her acting career began after actor and director Raymond St. Jacques noticed her during a poetry reading in Dallas. He offered her a role in the 1973 film Book of Numbers. Hall also helped establish the Dallas Minority Repertory Theatre in 1972 and wrote a play called Gentle Fire, based on her poetry.

Hall became widely known for playing Big Mama in Soul Food (1997). Her performance earned her an NAACP Image Award for supporting actress. A year earlier, she had appeared alongside Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones in A Family Thing (1996).

Her work in the film earned supporting actress awards from the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Kansas City Film Critics Circle. She also appeared in Nothing to Lose, Beloved and Collateral. In 2004, Hall received the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance in The Ladykillers.

She had been recovering from a serious car accident at the time. Hall was also inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame and helped establish the African American Repertory Theatre in DeSoto, Texas. Sehjal Gupta is a Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times and is part of the US Desk.

She covers a wide range of stories from the United States, including politics, sports, entertainment, breaking news, and major global developments. She enjoys working across different beats because every story brings a fresh perspective and an opportunity to explore something different.

Before joining Hindustan Times, Sehjal was part of The Times of India, where she headed the International Sports and US Streamers team. She reported on international sports, athlete stories, streamer news, and major developments from around the world.

The role gave her the opportunity to work on a diverse range of stories while leading coverage across two evolving news categories. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and believes the experience taught her the importance of staying organised, managing priorities, and adapting to new challenges.

Over the years, she has reported on a variety of topics and enjoys taking on stories that keep her curious and encourage her to look beyond the obvious. Expertise: International news, International/US sports, and streamer coverage.

Interests: Global affairs, geopolitics, politics, and entertainment. Outside work, Sehjal loves travelling, watching movies, and exploring new places to eat. She enjoys discovering new cultures and believes that some of the best stories and experiences come from stepping outside her comfort zone and exploring unfamiliar places.Read More