LOS ANGELES – JANUARY 1: ALICE, cast members (from left) Polly Holliday (as Flo, Florence Jean Castleberry), Linda Lavin (as Alice Hyatt) and Beth Howland (as Vera Louise Gorman). January 1, 1979. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
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Polly Holliday, who shot to pop culture fame as the sharp-tongued waitress Florence “Flo” Castleberry on the long-running CBS sitcom Alice – made unforgettable by her signature catchphrase, “Kiss my grits!” – died September 9 at her home in Manhattan. She was 88. Her passing comes eight months after the death of her Alice co-star Linda Lavin.
Born July 2, 1937, in Jasper, Alabama, Holliday began her career on stage before breaking into television. She joined Alice in 1976, playing the brassy, gum-chewing waitress with a Southern drawl whose constant sparring with diner owner Mel (Vic Tayback) and camaraderie with fellow waitresses Alice (Lavin) and Vera (Beth Howland) became central to the series’ success.
Her catchphrase, “Kiss my grits!,” quickly entered the cultural lexicon and turned Holliday into one of TV’s most recognizable stars of the late 1970s. The role earned her two Golden Globe Awards and four consecutive Emmy nominations. Her sudden stardom even sparked rumors of behind-the-scenes tensions with Lavin, who reportedly bristled at the attention Holliday’s character commanded.
LOS ANGELES – JANUARY 1: ALICE cast from left to right: Polly Holliday as “Flo” Florence Jean Castleberry; Vic Tayback as diner owner Mel Sharples; Philip McKeon as Alice’s son Tommy; Linda Lavin as Alice Hyatt; and Beth Howland as Vera Louise Gorman. January 1, 1979. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
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Spin-Off and Beyond
Holliday’s popularity was so immense (and to potentially appease Linda Lavin), CBS gave her a spinoff, Flo, which ran for two seasons (1980–81) and earned her another Golden Globe nomination. Following the cancellation of Flo, Holliday never returned to Alice.
Flo, portrayed by American actress Polly Holliday, referees an arm wrestling match between her bartender Geoffrey Lewis (right) and a patron in a scene from the short-lived sitcom ‘Flo,’ 1980. The character of Florence Jean Castleberry was spun-off from the hit television series ‘Alice’ due to her overwhelming popularity. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)
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Beyond Alice and Flo, Holliday’s acting resume including guest appearances in TV series like The Golden Girls, Private Benjamin and Stir Crazy. From 1995 to 1996, she appeared as Momma Love in the legal drama The Client. And she had the recurring role of Jill’s (Patricia Richardson) mother on Home Improvement.
HOME IMPROVEMENT – “Love’s Lost Labor – Part I” – Airdate: February 23, 1999. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) POLLY HOLLIDAY;TIM ALLEN
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On the big screen, she had memorable roles in All the President’s Men (1976), Gremlins (1984), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), and The Parent Trap (1998).
Also a stage actress, Holliday also had an extensive resume of theater credits, including work on and off Broadway.
Cultural Impact
Though her career spanned decades, Holliday’s time as Flo Castleberry left the most indelible mark. At a time when sitcoms were experimenting with edgier humor and stronger female characters, Holliday’s Flo stood out as a brash, independent woman who never shied away from speaking her mind.
With Holliday’s passing, Alice has lost its last surviving original cast member. Lavin died last December, Tayback in 1990, Howland in 2015, and Philip McKeon in 2019.
NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 17: (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER OUT) Actress Polly Holiday arrives at the play opening of “Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All” November 17, 2003 in New York City. (Photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images)
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