Irma St. Paule

Irma St. Paule was born on March 23, 1926 in Odessa in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.[1] Her mother was from Russia and her father came from Turkey.[2][3] At an early age, St. Paule and her family moved to New York City. She later moved to Chicago after she was married. There, St Paule enrolled at the Goodman School of Drama (now the Theatre School at DePaul University) to study as a ballerina.[3] After she and her husband were granted a divorce, she returned to New York City and later said of her relocation to an interviewer, "By then, my family was mostly gone so I was able to do as I wished. And I did!".[3]

Later in life, St. Paule began a career in acting,[4] appearing in several films and television shows from 1985,[2] often playing grandmothers of Italian descent.[3] Films in which she was credited in during the 1980s were The Oracle (1985), Walls of Glass (1985), Psychos in Love (1987) and Rain (1989). St. Paule made her debut in a television film by being cast in The Bride in Black in 1990, and portrayed Ya Ya Andros on the NBC soap opera Guiding Light from 1992 to 1994.[2] In the meantime, she was cast in three films in 1993:[2] St. Paule played Teresa in The Cemetery Club,[4] Household Saints, and The Saint of Fort Washington. She later was seen in Who Do I Gotta Kill? (1994), Party Girl,[2] Mother Theresa in Jeffrey,[4] and 12 Monkeys (the final three films were released in 1995).[2]

In 1995, St. Paule made her sole appearance on Broadway,[2] portraying The Strega in a revival of The Rose Tattoo.[5] The following year, she was cast in the films Caught, Love is All There Is, Trees Lounge, The Big Bajoor, and Thinner. For the remainder of the 1990s, St. Paule was in Better Than Ever (1997), Kiss Me, Guido (1997), Grandma Matilda in Desecration (1999), Coming Soon (1999), and Fever (1999). Throughout 2000 she appeared in the films Wirey Spindell, Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her, Where the Money Is, Fast Food Fast Women, Fear of Fiction, and A Piece of Eden. St. Paule continued her acting career in 2001 to 2004, when she was cast in Cat Lady (2001), Queenie in Love (2001), Errors, Freaks and Oddities (2002), Found Money (2003), Jersey Girl (2004), Second Best (2004), and The Amazing Floydini (2004).[2]

Later career roles in films featuring St. Paule included Homecoming (2005), Duane Hopwood (2005), Bittersweet Place (2005), Life on the Edge (2005),[2] Mrs. Leeds in Satan's Playground (2005),[3] 9A (2006), The Last Request (2006), In The Blood (2006), and Made in Brooklyn (2006).[2] Her final show on stage was in an Off-Broadway revival of All the Way Home in late 2006, in which had a non-speaking role as an elderly secluded woman residing at a rustic, rural home.[3][6] St. Paule's performance was praised by the press.[5][6]

Earlier, she also had other Off-Broadway credits, such as the 1995 Classic Stage Company's production of Endgame in the part of Nell,[3][4] she portrayed Maria Josefa in Another Part of the Forest,[5] Owners,[4] and the 2003 environmental theatre event The Angel Project.[3] St. Paule's regional theatre credits include portraying the role of the ailing aunt in Vigil at Geva Theatre Center,[7] 1933 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Enchanted April at the Hartford Stage, Griller at Goodman Theatre, and The Dybbuk at Pittsburgh Public Theater.[5] Her other roles in television were episodes of Kate & Allie, Sex and the City, Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Third Watch, Wonderland, Chapelle's Show, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Law & Order.[2] St. Paule died in New York City on January 9, 2007.[1][2] At the time of her death, colleagues believed her to be the oldest working actress on New York City's Broadway stage.[5][6]