According to Deadline, Tony-nominated actress Polly Holliday passed away in her home in New York City on September 9, 2015, at the age of 88. Holliday was best known for her character Flo on the CBS sitcom, Alice. Dennis Aspland, Holliday’s theatrical agent, announced her death to the New York Times as the last surviving member of the comedy’s regular cast.
According to Deadline, Holliday was born on July 2, 1937, and raised in Alabama. She studied theater at Alabama College for Women and then studied at Florida State University. She then moved to New York, where she landed a role at the Public Theater off-Broadway in 1972. Holliday appeared on Broadway in the show All Over Town, directed by Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie, Sam & Kate). In 1976, Hoffman and Holliday reunited in the 1976 film All the President’s Men. During the same year, Holliday was cast as Florence Jean Castleberry, better known as “Flo”.
Deadline mentioned that Holliday received many laughs with her portrayal of the character Flo from the series Alice. With her southern accent, she portrayed the gum-chewing, wise-cracking waitress working at Mel’s Diner who made “Kiss My Grits” a national catchphrase. Holliday left the series to revive the character in a spinoff called Flo, which was canceled after a short run. Holliday then joined another short-lived CBS series, Private Benjamin.
Deadline also mentioned that Holliday continued to work on shows such as The Golden Girls and Home Improvement, and John Grisham’s (The Firm, The Innocent Man) 1995 series, The Client. Her final TV credit was an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street. Holliday’s film credits include W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings, Gremlins, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Parent Trap, Heartbreak Kid, and her last film, 2010’s Fair Game. Holliday also had success on Broadway. She appeared in the shows Arsenic and Old Lace, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, where she was nominated for a Tony for her character of Big Mamma, and Picnic.