Polly Holliday dies at 88: What to know about the iconic TV star
Actress Polly Holliday poses for a portrait in circa 1985. Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Polly Holliday, the award-winning actress who turned the phrase “Kiss my grits!” into a national catchphrase as Flo on the CBS sitcom Alice, has died at 88.
Her death was confirmed Tuesday at her home in New York by her longtime theatrical agent, Dennis Aspland. Holliday’s passing marks the loss of the last surviving principal cast member of Alice. Linda Lavin, who played the title character, died last year.
The Role That Made Her a Star
Alice, which aired from 1976 to 1985, catapulted Holliday to stardom as Florence Jean “Flo” Castleberry, a gum-chewing waitress with a quick wit, a beehive hairdo, and a sharp Southern charm.
Her performance earned four Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe nods, winning a Globe in 1980. Holliday became such a cultural icon that CBS launched a spinoff, Flo, in 1980. Though it lasted just one season, her fame endured far beyond the show.
Despite distancing herself from the phrase, Holliday embraced the essence of Flo, telling the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in 2003: “She was a Southern woman you see in a lot of places. Not well educated, but very sharp, with a sense of humor and a resolve not to let life get her down.”
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Acclaimed Stage and Screen Career
Holliday’s career was not limited to sitcom fame. She had an impressive resume spanning Broadway, film, and television drama.
She earned a Tony Award nomination in 1990 for her role opposite Kathleen Turner in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Her Broadway credits also included All Over Town (1974, directed by Dustin Hoffman), Arsenic and Old Lace (1986 with Jean Stapleton and Abe Vigoda), and Picnic (1994 with Kyle Chandler).
On-screen, Holliday delivered memorable performances in films like Gremlins (1984), where she played the wicked Mrs. Deagle, and All the President’s Men (1976), portraying a protective secretary. She also appeared in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and The Parent Trap (1998).
Television audiences later saw her in Golden Girls as the blind sister of Betty White’s character and as Tim Allen’s sharp-tongued mother-in-law on Home Improvement.
A Legacy of Humor and Strength
Across five decades, Polly Holliday proved herself as one of America’s most versatile actresses. Critics praised her ability to bring humor, warmth, and resilience to every role.
The New York Times, reviewing her off-Broadway work in A Quarrel of Sparrows, described her as radiating “a refreshingly touching air of willed, cheerful imperturbability.”
Her contributions to American entertainment, from her Broadway accolades to her unforgettable Flo on Alice, cement her place as a trailblazer for women in comedy and television.
Remembering a Television Icon
With her passing, fans and colleagues are reflecting on her groundbreaking work and the indelible mark she left on American pop culture. Though gone, her humor, talent, and spirit will live on in reruns, stage archives, and cherished memories.
Polly Holliday will always be remembered as the waitress who made America laugh and the actress who inspired generations.
