The actor was beloved for her iconic &34;Kiss my grits!&34; catchphrase on the CBS sitcom. Polly Holliday, who played Flo the waitress on Alice, dies at 88

The actor was beloved for her iconic "Kiss my grits!" catchphrase on the CBS sitcom.

Polly Holliday, who played Flo the waitress on Alice, dies at 88

The actor was beloved for her iconic "Kiss my grits!" catchphrase on the CBS sitcom.

By Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum is a writer at covering all things pop culture – but TV is her one true love. She currently lives in Los Angeles but grew up in Chicago so please don't make fun of her accent when it slips out.

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September 10, 2025 4:13 p.m. ET

Polly Holliday on 'Alice'. Credit:

CBS Photo Archive/Getty

Polly Holliday, the actor who became beloved for her iconic "Kiss my grits!" catchphrase as Flo the waitress on *Alice*, has died. She was 88.

Holliday died on Tuesday in her Manhattan home, her agent Dennis Aspland told *The New York Times*.

Polly Holliday on 'Alice'.

Holliday was born July 2, 1937, in Jasper, Ala., and moved to New York City after earning a degree from the Alabama College for Women.

She got her start onstage in *All Over Town* on Broadway (directed by Dustin Hoffman, which later led to her playing a secretary in *All the President's Men* in 1976), but her breakout role came four years later on the small screen when she was cast as the flirty, outspoken waitress Flo on the groundbreaking CBS sitcom *Alice* (based on Martin Scorsese's film *Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore*). Flo was known for her brash, quick wit, but she also had a heart of gold and spent her time mentoring the titular character (played by Linda Lavin).

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After starring on *Alice* for four seasons, Holliday ultimately left the series and got her own spinoff, *Flo*, which was canceled after two seasons in 1981.

The spinoff centered on her character moving back home to "Cowtown" (a.k.a. Fort Worth) and taking over ownership of a roadhouse. She won Golden Globes for her role in 1970 and 1980, and was nominated for four Emmys (including two in the same year, 1980, for *Alice* and *Flo*).

Polly Holliday.

Paul Hawthorne/WireImage

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Holliday also had a memorable role playing the villain in 1984's *Gremlins*, as well as appearances in TV and films including *Private Benjamin*, *Mrs. Doubtfire, Home Improvement, Golden Girls,* *Parent Trap, The Heartbreak Kid, Stick It, The Client, *and* The Equalizer. *

She later went on to have a successful stage career, earning a Tony nomination in 1990 for playing Big Mama in *Cat on a Hot Tin Roof*. She also starred on Broadway in *Arsenic and Old Lace* opposite Jean Stapleton.

Holliday's final onscreen role was in 2010's *Fair Game *with Naomi Watts, based on the true story of CIA operative Valerie Plame.

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