‘A sheer joy’: Tom Hanks pays tribute to former co-star Irma P. Hall after powerhouse actress dies

The actor shared a personal tribute to his co-star from ‘The Ladykillers,’ who died Nov. 10 in Dallas.

Tom Hanks is remembering Irma P. Hall, his co-star in the 2004 comedy “The Ladykillers,” after her death at 91. Hall, who famously played Big Mama in 1997’s “Soul Food,” helped ensure the film has a lasting legacy in Black cinema.

Hanks shared a photograph of Hall on Instagram on Friday, Nov. 13, along with a brief tribute. “Irma P. Hall was a sheer joy…May her memory be eternal…,” he wrote. The two actors worked together on Joel and Ethan Coen’s dark comedy more than two decades ago.

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Hanks played Professor G.H. Dorr, an eccentric criminal who rents a room in the home of Marva Munson, a devout and sharp-tongued character played by Hall. His plan to use the house as a base for a robbery runs into trouble when Munson grows suspicious. Hall won a jury prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for her performance in the film, which features an all-star ensemble cast including Marlon Wayans, J.K. Simmons and George Wallace.

During her recovery from a January 2004 car crash and open-heart surgery, Hall heard from Hanks and the Coen brothers, who signed her pillow.

“Whenever I miss them, I hug it.” she told the Associated Press at the time.

Hall died Nov. 10 in Dallas, her family confirmed in a statement released the next day. Her relatives remembered her as an actress, author, poet, educator and public speaker, and asked for privacy as they mourned. No cause of death was announced.

Before finding wider fame as an actress, Hall spent more than two decades teaching in Dallas public schools. Director Raymond St. Jacques cast her in the 1973 film “Book of Numbers” after hearing her recite poetry. Her later screen credits included “A Family Thing,” “Beloved,” “Collateral,” and “Meet the Browns.”

For many viewers, Hall will remain Big Mama, the matriarch whose Sunday dinners held her family together in “Soul Food.” Hanks’ tribute offers a glimpse of the affection she inspired among the people who worked alongside her.