Polly Holliday, the Emmy-nominated actress best known for her role as the sassy waitress Flo on the CBS sitcom “Alice,” died Tuesday, September 9, at her home in Manhattan. She was 88 years old.
Holliday’s theatrical agent Dennis Aspland confirmed her death to multiple outlets. According to sources, her death is believed to be the result of pneumonia following years of health issues.
Born in Jasper, Alabama, on July 2, 1937, Holliday rose to fame playing Florence Jean “Flo” Castleberry on “Alice,” which aired from 1976 to 1985. Her character popularized the catchphrase “Kiss my grits!” which became a national phenomenon, though Holliday later distanced herself from the saying, noting it was “pure Hollywood” and not a regional expression.
The actress became such a breakout star on “Alice” that CBS gave her own spinoff series called “Flo” in 1980. The show lasted for two seasons until 1981. Her portrayal of the gum-chewing, beehive-wearing waitress earned her three Emmy nominations for “Alice” and one for “Flo,” as well as four Golden Globe nominations, winning one in 1980.
Holliday left “Alice” during the 1979-1980 season but remained connected to her Southern character. She told The Sarasota Herald-Tribune in 2003 that Flo was a Southern woman you see in a lot of places, describing her as not well-educated but very sharp, with a sense of humor and a resolve not to let life get her down.
Before finding television success, Holliday pursued education and music. She graduated from Alabama State College for Women, now the University of Montevallo, with a degree in piano and initially worked as a grade school music teacher. Her acting passion began in college when she joined a summer outdoor theater in North Carolina at age 19.
Her professional breakthrough came in 1974 when Dustin Hoffman directed her in her Broadway debut “All Over Town.” Hoffman also helped her secure a role in the 1976 film “All the President’s Men,” and the movie’s casting director subsequently suggested she audition for “Alice.”
Beyond “Alice,” Holliday built an extensive career in film and television. She appeared in notable movies including “Gremlins” as the villainous Mrs. Deagle, “The Parent Trap” as camp director Marva Kulp Sr., and “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Her television credits included recurring roles on “Home Improvement” as Tim Allen’s mother-in-law and “The Golden Girls” as the blind sister to Betty White’s character.
Holliday maintained an active Broadway career throughout her life. She appeared in productions of “Arsenic and Old Lace” in 1986 with Jean Stapleton and Abe Vigoda, and received a Tony Award nomination in 1990 for her performance as Big Mama in a revival of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” opposite Kathleen Turner.
In 1982, Holliday joined the cast of CBS’s “Private Benjamin” when star Eileen Brennan was injured in a car accident. She played Major Amanda Lee Allen for one season, expressing to reporters that she hated getting a job at the expense of someone’s misfortune but didn’t want to see the show fold.
The actress reflected on her career choices in a 1992 interview with the Tampa Bay Times, indicating she initially thought she preferred drama but kept getting cast in comedies and realized she was good at it. She noted that comedy was hard to do but didn’t take as much of an emotional toll as dramatic roles.
Holliday never married and had no children. She told reporters in 1980 that her work was her life, living simply with few wants and needs. She described herself as someone who spent 10 years in repertory theater living with whatever she could fit into a Volkswagen.
Her death makes her the last surviving principal cast member of “Alice.” Linda Lavin, who played the title character, died in December 2024 at age 87 from complications related to lung cancer. Other original cast members who preceded her in death include Vic Tayback, who died in 1990 from a heart attack at age 60, Beth Howland, who died in 2015 from lung cancer, and Philip McKeon, who played Alice’s son Tommy and died unexpectedly in 2019 at age 55.
Hollywood colleagues have begun paying tribute to Holliday’s memory. Nancy Meyers, director of “The Parent Trap,” posted on social media expressing sadness at Holliday’s passing, describing her as kind and wonderful in every moment of the film. Co-stars from the movie, including Maggie Wheeler and Elaine Hendrix, also shared memories of working with the veteran actress.