Polly Holliday, the Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress who popularized the sour “Kiss my grits!” said by server Flo on CBS’s “Alice,” died on September 9, 2025, at her home in New York City. She was 88 years old.

Born on July 2, 1937, in Jasper, Alabama, Holliday studied music at the University of Montevallo before pursuing graduate work at Florida State University. She taught in schools and honed her craft in repertory theaters before to her 1974 Broadway debut.

Holliday first appeared on “Alice” in 1976 as Florence Jean “Flo” Castleberry, a brazen, giving waitress with a keen sense of timing. Fans were charmed over by her flirtatious demeanor, which spawned a spinoff, the two-season sitcom “Flo.” She was nominated for four Primetime Emmys for the role, including three for “Alice” and one for “Flo.” She also won two Golden Globes for the role in 1979 and 1980.

Compared to Mel’s Diner, she did a lot more TV. She portrayed Lily, Rose Nylund’s sister, on “The Golden Girls,” and she returned to the role of Lillian, Jill Taylor’s mother, on “Home Improvement,” She then costarred with him in the legal thriller “The Client.”

Holliday won the 1985 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of the ruthless businesswoman Ruby Deagle in “Gremlins,” leaving a lasting impression on screen. Other credits included “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “All the President’s Men,” and “The Parent Trap” (1998).

She frequently returned to the stage. Holliday starred in “Arsenic and Old Lace” on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Big Mama in the 1990 production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”

In spite of her fame, she had a lonely life. She supported the choral society and chamber series at Grace Church in Greenwich Village and was quite active there despite never getting married.