Polly Holliday (Flo from Alice) -- Dead at 88
09-10-25 | 05:28 PM
#1
Thread Starter
DVD Talk God
Polly Holliday (Flo from Alice) -- Dead at 88
Polly Holliday, who was the last surviving original cast member from the CBS classic Alice, died Tuesday at the age of 88.
Holliday’s longtime friend and theater agent, Dennis Aspland, confirmed her passing to The New York Times. A cause of death was not disclosed.
The actress won two Golden Globes for her turn as wisecracking waitress Florence “Flo” Castleberry on the aforementioned Alice, and was known for her catchphrase, “Kiss my grits!”
Following Season 4, Holliday left Alice to lead her own short-loved spinoff, Flo, which ran for two seasons and ended in 1981.
Holliday was a four-time Emmy nominee. She was thrice nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for Alice, and picked up a fourth nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress for Flo.
Subsequent TV work included a recurring role on ABC’s Home Improvement, on which she appeared in five episodes as Lillian Patterson, mother to Patricia Richardson’s Jill; and a supporting role on the short-lived CBS legal thriller The Client, opposite JoBeth Williams.
On the big screen, she is most commonly associated with her turn as Mrs. Deagle in 1984’s Gremlins. Additional credits included Mrs. Doubtfire, The Parent Trap (1998) and The Heartbreak Kid (2007).
Holliday’s longtime friend and theater agent, Dennis Aspland, confirmed her passing to The New York Times. A cause of death was not disclosed.
The actress won two Golden Globes for her turn as wisecracking waitress Florence “Flo” Castleberry on the aforementioned Alice, and was known for her catchphrase, “Kiss my grits!”
Following Season 4, Holliday left Alice to lead her own short-loved spinoff, Flo, which ran for two seasons and ended in 1981.
Holliday was a four-time Emmy nominee. She was thrice nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for Alice, and picked up a fourth nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress for Flo.
Subsequent TV work included a recurring role on ABC’s Home Improvement, on which she appeared in five episodes as Lillian Patterson, mother to Patricia Richardson’s Jill; and a supporting role on the short-lived CBS legal thriller The Client, opposite JoBeth Williams.
On the big screen, she is most commonly associated with her turn as Mrs. Deagle in 1984’s Gremlins. Additional credits included Mrs. Doubtfire, The Parent Trap (1998) and The Heartbreak Kid (2007).
And then there was none.
Celia Weston, who played Jolene later on, is the last surviving regular of the series.
09-10-25 | 05:43 PM
#2
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Polly Holliday (Flo from Alice) -- Dead at 88
Sad news. Alice was one of the first TV shows I remember.Kiss my grits.
09-10-25 | 06:18 PM
#3
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Polly Holliday (Flo from Alice) -- Dead at 88
farewell
09-10-25 | 06:50 PM
#4
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Re: Polly Holliday (Flo from Alice) -- Dead at 88
I can honestly say I knew the names of the other principal cast members but not hers. "Polly Holliday" is perfect, though.
09-10-25 | 08:42 PM
#6
DVD Talk Legend
.. I'm Flo, goddammit!!
09-10-25 | 08:53 PM
#7
DVD Talk Legend
09-10-25 | 08:56 PM
#8
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Polly Holliday (Flo from Alice) -- Dead at 88
Another part of my childhood moves on from this life. As a kid I thought her signature line was so funny.
09-10-25 | 10:39 PM
#9
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Polly Holliday (Flo from Alice) -- Dead at 88
Sometime in the last year or so I purchased the Alice series digitally. Time to pull up a few episodes for old times sake.
With the popularity of her character and the signature catchphrase, I'm a little surprised this show had more episodes without Flo than with her.
With the popularity of her character and the signature catchphrase, I'm a little surprised this show had more episodes without Flo than with her.
09-11-25 | 07:22 AM
#10
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Polly Holliday (Flo from Alice) -- Dead at 88
I said in the Obituary thread that after her death, this closes out the show... but I somehow forgot that Diane Ladd and Celia Weston are still kicking.
Ladd is 89, so not much time left there... but Weston was the baby of the show and is only 73 - so this show might not close out for a while still.
Ladd is 89, so not much time left there... but Weston was the baby of the show and is only 73 - so this show might not close out for a while still.
09-11-25 | 11:06 AM
#11
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Polly Holliday (Flo from Alice) -- Dead at 88
Alice is one of those shows that I look back at and remember watching often as a kid and now I wonder why? I mean, it certainly doesn't check any boxes in a 9-year-old kid. I don't think I have seen any episodes since I was a kid.
She is a known celebrity around these parts. Alabama doesn't get many, so her name is mentioned often around here as an Alabamian that made good.
She is a known celebrity around these parts. Alabama doesn't get many, so her name is mentioned often around here as an Alabamian that made good.
09-11-25 | 11:15 AM
#12
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Polly Holliday (Flo from Alice) -- Dead at 88
Alice is one of those shows that I look back at and remember watching often as a kid and now I wonder why? I mean, it certainly doesn't check any boxes in a 9-year-old kid. I don't think I have seen any episodes since I was a kid.
She is a known celebrity around these parts. Alabama doesn't get many, so her name is mentioned often around here as an Alabamian that made good.
She is a known celebrity around these parts. Alabama doesn't get many, so her name is mentioned often around here as an Alabamian that made good.
09-15-25 | 10:48 AM
#14
DVD Talk God
Re: Polly Holliday (Flo from Alice) -- Dead at 88
My family used to watch this show, so I have heard many the time the classic line of dialogue, "Kiss My Grits!"
I think my Dad would put it on as background viewing but I had a tendency to actually watch the show. I want to note that as a kid I was not shocked by nor quite understood the impact of the saying when it came out of Flo's mouth. It strikes me as one of those things I heard on a show as a kid growing up that as long as I did not repeat it out loud I would get no lecture about what is and is not appropriate to say in public.
The factoid that most of (if not all of) the main cast has passed away makes me a bit melancholy. Another reminder that I am in my mid-fifties now and a lot of the shows I grew up with had actors whose age at the time of the show means that it tracks that they are either very old and out of sight nowadays, or have passed away in some cases simply due to old age.
RIP FLO, she really was a ridiculously memorable character on the show.
I think my Dad would put it on as background viewing but I had a tendency to actually watch the show. I want to note that as a kid I was not shocked by nor quite understood the impact of the saying when it came out of Flo's mouth. It strikes me as one of those things I heard on a show as a kid growing up that as long as I did not repeat it out loud I would get no lecture about what is and is not appropriate to say in public.
The factoid that most of (if not all of) the main cast has passed away makes me a bit melancholy. Another reminder that I am in my mid-fifties now and a lot of the shows I grew up with had actors whose age at the time of the show means that it tracks that they are either very old and out of sight nowadays, or have passed away in some cases simply due to old age.
RIP FLO, she really was a ridiculously memorable character on the show.
09-15-25 | 12:16 PM
#15
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Polly Holliday (Flo from Alice) -- Dead at 88
Don’t forget she was also Mr. Darden’s secretary in All The Presidents Men. Would not let Dustin Huffman back there…
09-15-25 | 01:06 PM
#16
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Polly Holliday (Flo from Alice) -- Dead at 88
Also, during a lot of its run on CBS, it was preceded by One Day at a Time and followed by The Jeffersons, I loved both of those shows, so just by default I was watching Alice in between.
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