Polly Holliday, Beloved “Alice” Star, Dies at 88

 On CBS's "Alice," Polly Holliday, the Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress who made the waitress Flo's sour "Kiss my grits!" a national catchphrase, passed away at her New York City home on September 9, 2025. She was eighty-eight.

Holliday, who was born in Jasper, Alabama, on July 2, 1937, attended the University of Montevallo to study music before attending Florida State University for graduate studies. Before making her Broadway debut in 1974, she taught in schools and developed her skills in repertory theaters.

In 1976, Holliday made her debut on "Alice" as Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry, a brash, generous waitress with impeccable timing. Her flirty persona won over fans and inspired a spinoff, the two-season sitcom "Flo." For the part, she received two Golden Globes in 1979 and 1980 and was nominated for four Primetime Emmys: three for "Alice" and one for "Flo."

She did far more TV than Mel's Diner. On "The Golden Girls," she portrayed Lily, Rose Nylund's sister, and on "Home Improvement," she reprised her role as Lillian, Jill Taylor's mother. Later on, she appeared alongside him in the legal drama "The Client."

As the vicious businesswoman Ruby Deagle in "Gremlins," Holliday made a lasting impression on screen and took home the 1985 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. "Mrs. Doubtfire," "All the President's Men," and "The Parent Trap" (1998) were among the other credits.

She was back on stage a lot. Holliday received a Tony nomination for her role as Big Mama in the 1990 production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and starred in "Arsenic and Old Lace" on Broadway.

She lived a solitary life in spite of her notoriety. She never got married and was quite active at Grace Church in Greenwich Village, supporting its chamber series and choral society.