Polly Holliday dead at 88 , who is the favorite actress, the Flo in Alice, has passed away at 88. Tributes are also dedicated to her legendary catchphrase, Kiss my grits, her Broadway success and her great career in television and film.
What’s New
- Polly Holliday passed away on September 9, 2025 at age 88, in her Manhattan house.
- She had been experiencing health problems and pneumonia is suspected to be a cause of this problem.
- She was the only survival of the key actors in the sitcom Alice.
Her Biography and professional accomplishments.
- Her most prominent work was on the series Alice (1976-1985) where she played Florence Jean, or Flo, Castleberry, whose line of kiss my grits! became legendary.
- In 1980, she split off into her own show, Flo.
- Work on Broadway and in film: Nominated and released on Tony nomination as Cat on a hot tin roof, films in Gremlins, Mrs. Doubtfire, Only the parent trap etc.
Compliments and Reminiscences of others.
- After her death, numerous obituaries underlined her fame as the final surviving star of the original cast of Alice and referred to Flo as one of the most beloved characters in the history of television.
- Authors observed how the catchphrase of her character that became more than the show was her phrase of kissing her grits. Although by saying that it was pure Hollywood and not a true regionalism, Holliday was pushing the phrase to the extreme (she, herself, acknowledged enjoying mixing the humor with sharpness and grit in Flo), even she recognized that she identified with Flo.
- Theatrical colleagues and critics acclaimed the ease with which she switched between comedy, character ones, and traditional drama, as in her Tony-nominated performance as Big Mama in Cat on the Hot Tin Roof, and in her work in Arsenic and Old Lace and Picnic.
Her Own Reflections
Polly Holliday also provided a glimpse of her life growing up, how she went about acting and the meaning of Flo to her. The following are some of her thoughts:
- She would talk frequently of her Alabama childhood, of going out with her father, visiting the truck stops, and how such experience with powerful, strong waitresses had brought her to her sense of Flo.
- On the character of her most celebrated quotation: when the writers originally presented her with the following, Kiss my grits!, she responded: What the hell do you mean by it? Why am I saying that?” It is quite strange, but she accepted the phrase with time.
- Her comment in 2003:
She was a Southern woman you can find in many places, not particularly well educated, but very quick, with a sense of humor and determination never to allow the world to pull her down.
This account describes the way she perceived Flo and how she might have perceived a portion of her personal experience.
Interview Snippets and Early Career.
Holliday traced much of her craft to her early years as a theatrical performer–summer repertory, understudying, being forced to perform two or three roles each week. She attributed that time to instructing her her discipline and versatility.
She also studied music intensively and got a degree in piano and even got exposure to classical performance at an early age. Acting followed later–but with music and theatre training at heart.
Conclusion
The death of Polly Holliday at 88 years old brings the incredible era in the history of television and theatre to an end. Adored as the memorable Flo in Alice, she turned an ordinary Southern waitress into a cultural hero whose quips and strength were heard with new generations.
In addition to her catchphrase of Kiss my grits, Holliday had a successful career in both Broadway, film, and television and she was versatile as not only a comedic actress, but a dramatic one.
Colleagues and fans alike hail her witiness, profound humanity and her capacity to infuse genuineness into each role. Being the final surviving key cast member of the Alice, her legacy lives on not only in reruns and stage memory but in the impression she made on how these women she played are so strong and spirited.
Also read- Mark Volman passed away at age 78