Polly Holliday, the beloved actress best known for her role as the sassy waitress Flo Castleberry on the CBS sitcom “Alice,” died September 9, 2025, at her Manhattan home. She was 88 years old.
Dennis Aspland, Holliday’s longtime talent manager, confirmed her death to multiple news outlets. Aspland indicated that the actress “passed away on the 9th of September comfortably at her home in Manhattan.” The cause of death has not been reported.
Born in Jasper, Alabama, on July 2, 1937, Holliday discovered her passion for acting during her college years at the University of Montevallo in the late 1950s. She participated in theater productions and landed leading roles in “The Lady’s Not for Burning” and “Medea.” At age 19, she joined a summer outdoor theater in North Carolina called Unto These Hills Outdoor Drama Center, where she worked as a choir singer, square dancer, and understudied for a lead role.
Holliday moved to New York in the 1970s and secured her first Broadway role in “All Over Town,” which was directed by Dustin Hoffman. Her breakthrough came in 1976 when she landed the role of Florence Jean “Flo” Castleberry on the CBS sitcom “Alice.” The character became iconic for popularizing the catchphrase “Kiss my grits!”
Holliday portrayed Flo from 1976 to 1980, earning three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. The role’s success led to a spin-off series titled “Flo,” which ran for two seasons from 1980 to 1981. Her performance in the spin-off earned her an additional Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1980.
Reflecting on her character in a 2003 interview with The Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Holliday described Flo as a Southern woman “not well-educated, but very sharp, with a sense of humor and a resolve not to let life get her down.” She told the Tampa Bay Times in 1992 that while she initially thought she preferred drama, she kept getting cast in comedies and realized she was skilled at the genre.
Following her success on “Alice,” Holliday appeared in numerous television shows including “Private Benjamin,” “The Golden Girls,” and “Home Improvement.” Her film career included memorable roles in several popular movies. She portrayed the stern Mrs. Deagle in the 1984 film “Gremlins,” appeared as Gloria Chaney in “Mrs. Doubtfire” in 1993, and played Judge Westreich in 2006’s “Stick It.”
One of her later notable roles was as Camp Walden owner and director Marva Kulp Sr. in the 1998 remake of “The Parent Trap.” Co-star Maggie Wheeler, who played her assistant and daughter in the film, remembered their time together on social media. Wheeler described working with Holliday as a gift, recalling how they had fun together in trailers and while being covered in chocolate syrup during filming scenes.
Director Nancy Meyers also paid tribute to Holliday, expressing sadness over her passing and praising her kindness and professionalism during the production of “The Parent Trap.” Meyers noted that she had recently seen Holliday in “All The President’s Men,” describing her performance as fantastic. Actress Elaine Hendrix, who played Meredith Blake in the film, also honored Holliday’s memory on social media.
Holliday’s death comes less than a year after her “Alice” co-star Linda Lavin, who played the titular character, passed away on December 29, 2024, from complications of lung cancer. The loss of both actresses marks the end of an era for fans of the beloved sitcom that ran for nine seasons.
Despite her significant contributions to television and film, Holliday was notably absent from the recent Emmy Awards In Memoriam segment. The Television Academy’s broadcast tribute, which featured performances by Lainey Wilson and Vince Gill, honored other television stars but left out several notable figures including Holliday, though many omitted names were included on a longer scroll available on the Academy’s website.
Throughout her career, Holliday demonstrated versatility as a performer, successfully transitioning between television and film while maintaining her reputation as a skilled comedic actress. Her portrayal of Flo Castleberry remains one of television’s most memorable supporting characters, cementing her place in entertainment history. The actress leaves behind a legacy of memorable performances that spanned several decades and touched multiple generations of viewers.