Polly Holliday facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Polly Holliday
Born	Polly Dean Holliday (1937-07-02) July 2, 1937 (age 88) Jasper, Alabama, U.S.
Alma mater	Alabama College, State College for Women Florida State University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1963–2010
Awards	Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame

Polly Dean Holliday (born July 2, 1937) is an American actress who is now retired. She acted in plays, on television, and in movies. She is most famous for playing a fun waitress named Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry. This was on a TV show from the 1970s called Alice.

Polly Holliday also starred in a short TV show called Flo, where she played the same character. Her character's famous saying, "Kiss my grits!", is still a very well-known line from the Alice show. As of July 2025, Polly Holliday is the last living main actor from the original cast of Alice.

Early Life and Education

Polly Holliday was born in Jasper, Alabama. Her father, Ernest Sullivan Holliday, was a truck driver. Her mother was Velma Mabell Holliday. Polly grew up in towns called Childersburg and Sylacauga.

Polly went to Alabama College for Women, which is now called the University of Montevallo. She studied there in the late 1950s. She was very good in the theater department. She played the main roles in plays like "The Lady's Not for Burning" and "Medea". She finished college in 1959 with a degree in piano. She then went to Florida State University.

Starting Her Acting Journey

Polly Holliday first worked as a piano teacher in Alabama and Florida. She began her acting career with the Asolo Theatre Company in Sarasota, Florida. She worked there for 10 years.

Polly is also a member of the Episcopal Church. She sang in church choirs and helped run a music series in New York City. In 2010, she appeared in an advertisement for the Episcopal Church.

Acting Career Highlights

In 1973, Polly Holliday moved to New York City. She acted in a play called Wedding Band. Later, she was in a Broadway play called All Over Town. While working on this play, she became friends with the director, Dustin Hoffman. He later worked with her on the 1976 movie All the President's Men.

(L-R): Beth Howland as Vera, Linda Lavin as Alice, and Polly Holliday as Flo on Alice (1976)

Becoming "Flo" on Alice

In 1976, Polly Holliday got her big break. She was cast as Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry on the TV show Alice. Flo was a lively and confident waitress. Her character became famous for saying, "Kiss my grits!" This phrase became very popular in America.

Polly starred in Alice from 1976 to 1980. Then, she got her own TV show called Flo. In this show, Flo left Arizona and moved back to her home state of Texas. The show was popular at first. However, its ratings went down later, and it was canceled in 1981.

Other TV and Movie Roles

Polly Holliday also appeared in other TV shows. She was in The Golden Girls as Rose Nylund's blind sister, Lily. She played Jill Taylor's mother on Home Improvement. She was also a regular character on The Client.

Polly Holliday acted in several movies too. These include All the President's Men, Moon over Parador, and Mrs. Doubtfire. She was also in The Parent Trap (1998). In the 1984 movie Gremlins, she played Ruby Deagle. For this role, she won an award called the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Broadway Stage Work

On the Broadway stage, Polly Holliday appeared in several plays. She was in a 1986 version of Arsenic and Old Lace. She played Martha Brewster, one of the sweet old aunts. In 1990, she was in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. For her role as Big Mama, she was nominated for a Tony Award. She also acted in Picnic in 1994. In 2000, she performed in a play called The Time of the Cuckoo.

In 2000, Polly Holliday was honored by being added to the Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame.

Filmography

Movies

TV Movies

TV Series

See also

In Spanish: Polly Holliday para niños