Irma P. Hall, the veteran actress known for films including "Soul Food" and "The Ladykillers," has died. She was 91.
The actress, author, poet and public speaker died on Tuesday, Nov. 10 in Dallas, her
family confirmed in a statement shared on Facebook Wednesday, Nov. 11.
"Her legacy of talent, dedication, and compassion will continue to inspire generations to come," the statement read. "The family deeply appreciates the outpouring of love, support, and condolences from fans, friends, colleagues, and well-wishers worldwide."
Born in 1935 in Beaumont, Texas, Hall's father was a saxophone player and her mother was a hospital administrator. In a 1998 interview with Texas Monthly, Hall described her childhood as "shockingly beautiful."
"I was surrounded by aunts and uncles and cousins and parents and grandparents. We grew everything we ate. We had smokehouses and fruit trees and gardens. I was a princess. There was so much love. As long as I can remember, people were always teaching me poems and quoting Shakespeare," she wrote.
Irma P. Hall was a high school teacher for 27 years
An only child, Hall and her parents moved to Chicago at a young age as her father wanted Hall to "take advantage of the educational and artistic opportunities." She attended college in Texas, where she later worked as a teacher for several decades.
In a 1996 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Hall said her call to acting didn't come until after she had taught high school students in rural Texas for 27 years, often in one-room schools prior to the desegregation of public schools.
"I didn’t know I wanted to [act], but God knew, and he didn’t tell me until late," she told the outlet.
Her film debut came in Raymond St. Jacques's 1973 crime drama "Book of Numbers." She continued with more film and TV appearances before performing in regional theater. In 1973, she and actor Reginald Montgomery co-founded the Dallas Minority Repertory Theatre, where she also performed.
She appeared on CBS' "Dallas" in 1978 playing housekeeper Tilly before eventually leaving teaching entirely to pursue acting full time.
"It’s surprising when people come up and they want my autograph," Hall once said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I’m still saying, 'For what?' When I was doing something important like teaching school, nobody came to ask for my autograph."
Irma P. Hall was inducted into Texas Film Hall of Fame a year after hospitalization
Her film credits included "Soul Food" (1997), "Beloved" (1998), "Patch Adams" (1998), "A Slipping-Down Life" (1999), "Bad Company" (2002), "Meet the Browns" (2008) and "Car" (2012).
In 2004, Hall was hospitalized after a car crash during a snowstorm in Chicago, requiring her to undergo open-heart surgery to repair a punctured aorta, per The Hollywood Reporter.
The Texas Film Hall of Fame in Austin inducted her the following year. Her accomplishments are also recognized by the Irma P. Hall Black Theatre Awards, also known as The Irmas, which were founded in 2015 and honor artistic excellence across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Hall is survived by her daughter, Irma Hall Crayton.
Details about Hall's memorial service will be announced at a later date, according to the family's statement, which also requested privacy.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Irma P. Hall, 'Soul Food' and 'Ladykillers' actor, dies at 91
