Almira Sessions (September 16, 1888 – August 3, 1974) was an American character actress of stage, screen and television.

[1] A debutante, she followed her coming out party with her introduction into the acting profession, appearing in a 1909 performance of the comic operetta The Sultan of Sulu by George Ade and Nathaniel D.

[6] During her film career, which spanned four decades from the 1940s to the 1970s, she appeared in numerous notable films, including: Preston Sturges's Sullivan's Travels (1942), starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake;[7][8] the William Wellman drama, The Ox-Bow Incident, starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, and Anthony Quinn;[9] her performance as Hattie the cook in the 1943 comedy, My Kingdom for a Cook, starring Charles Coburn, garnered her notice for her comedic talent;[10] another Preston Sturges film, the 1944 comedy The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, with Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton;[11] the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical State Fair (1945);[12] the Cole Porter biopic, Night and Day (1946), starring Cary Grant and Alexis Smith;[13] Monsieur Verdoux, Charlie Chaplin's 1947 comedy-drama in which she had one of her infrequent featured roles;[14] 1946 saw her dramatic performance in the film noir Fear highlighted in reviews;[15] the iconic It's a Wonderful Life (1947), directed by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart;[16] the Christmas classic The Bishop's Wife (1948), which stars Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven and was directed by Henry Koster;[17] the period comedy Take Me Out to the Ball Game, starring Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Esther Williams;[18] and King Vidor's 1949 production of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, starring Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal.

[19] The 1950s would see her continue appearing in numerous films, including such notable pictures as the Henry Koster classic comedy Harvey (1950), starring James Stewart;[20] the film version of Damon Runyon's short story The Lemon Drop Kid, starring Bob Hope;[21] 1955's Rebel Without a Cause (1955), starring James Dean and Natalie Wood;[22] Michael Curtiz's 1956 crime drama The Scarlet Hour;[23] and Elvis Presley's third film, Loving You (1957).

Her film credits during this decade included the film adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play Summer and Smoke (1961), starring Laurence Harvey, Geraldine Page, and Rita Moreno;[25] the 1963 comedy Under the Yum Yum Tree, with Jack Lemmon, Carol Lynley, Dean Jones, and Edie Adams;[26] the 1968 thriller, The Boston Strangler, starring Tony Curtis and Henry Fonda;[27] and Roman Polanski's horror classic, Rosemary's Baby, starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, and Ruth Gordon.