Polly Holliday

Polly Dean Holliday (born July 2, 1937) is an American actress who has appeared on stage, television and in film. She is best known for her portrayal of sassy waitress Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry on the 1970s sitcom Alice, which she reprised in its short-lived spin-off, Flo. Her character's tagline of "kiss my grits" remains perhaps the most memorable line associated with the series Alice.

Contents

1 Early life 2 Career 3 Filmography 4 References 5 External links

Early life[edit] Holliday was born in Jasper, Alabama, the daughter of Ernest Sullivan Holliday, a truck driver and Velma Mabell Holliday (née Cain).[1] She grew up in Childersburg and Sylacauga, where her brother Doyle's boyhood friend Jim Nabors
Jim Nabors lived. Prior to acting, Holliday worked as a piano teacher in her native Alabama, and then in Florida. She began her acting career as a member of the Asolo Theatre Company in Sarasota, Florida, where she stayed for 10 years. Career[edit] In 1973, Holliday moved to New York and appeared in Alice Childress's play Wedding Band at the Public Theater. More than a year later, she was cast in the Broadway hit All Over Town. While working on All Over Town, she befriended the play's director, Dustin Hoffman, who would later work with her on the 1976 movie All the President's Men. In 1976 Holliday was cast — in what would be her major break — as sassy, man-hungry waitress Flo
Flo Castleberry on the American sitcom Alice. Her character coined the popular catchphrase, "Kiss my grits!" The phrase became part of the American vocabulary. Holliday starred in Alice from 1976 to 1980, and then moved to her own short-lived spin-off show, Flo, in which Flo
Flo left her residence in Arizona
Arizona and moved back home. The show was moderately successful during its abbreviated first season, but ratings declined during the following season, and it was canceled in 1981. In 1983, Holliday joined the cast of the CBS-TV sitcom Private Benjamin as a temporary replacement for series regular Eileen Brennan, who was recovering from a serious car injury. However, the show was suffering low ratings before Holliday arrived and was soon canceled. As a result, only one of the two episodes she filmed was aired.[citation needed] Holliday also made appearances on television shows such as The Golden Girls, where she played Rose Nylund's blind sister Lily, in a recurring role as Jill Taylor's mother on Home Improvement, and a regular on The Client. Holliday's notable roles in films include All the President's Men, Mrs. Doubtfire, the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap and her role as Mrs. Ruby Deagle in the 1984 box office smash Gremlins. On the Broadway stage, she has appeared in revivals of Arsenic and Old Lace (1986) as Martha Brewster, one of the dotty, homicidal, sweet old aunties; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1990), for which she was nominated for a Tony for her portrayal of "Big Mama"; and Picnic (1994). She also appeared in the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap as the director of Camp Walden. In 2000, she appeared at Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center in a revival of Arthur Laurents's The Time of the Cuckoo. In 2000, she was inducted into the Alabama
Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame.[2] Filmography[edit]

Year Title Role Notes

1974 Search for Tomorrow Prison Inmate Leader TV series

1974 Wedding Band Annabelle TV movie

1975 W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings Mrs. Cozzens

1975 Silence, TheThe Silence Mrs. Watson TV movie

1975 Catamount Killing, TheThe Catamount Killing Miss Pearson

1975 Distance Mrs. Herman

1976 All the President's Men Dardis's Secretary

1976 NBC Special
Special Treat Mrs. Cronkite Episode: "Luke Was There"

1976 Bernice Bobs Her Hair Mrs. Harvey TV movie

1976–1980 Alice Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry 90 episodes Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress
Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Film (1979-80) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress
Actress in a Comedy Series (1978-80)

1978 One and Only, TheThe One and Only Mrs. Crawford

1979 You Can't Take It with You Miriam Kirby TV movie

1980–1981 Flo Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry 29 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress
Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress
Actress in a Comedy Series

1981 All the Way Home Aunt Hannah TV movie

1982 American Playhouse Mrs. Wooster Episode: "The Shady Hill Kidnapping"

1982 Missing Children: A Mother's Story Mary Gertrude TV movie

1982–1983 Private Benjamin Capt. Amanda Allen 3 episodes

1983 The Gift of Love: A Christmas Story Aunt Minerva 'Min' TV movie

1984 Gremlins Ruby Deagle Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress

1985 Lots of Luck Lucille TV movie

1985 Stir Crazy Captain Betty Episode: "Pilot"

1985 Konrad Berti Bartolotti TV movie

1986 Golden Girls, TheThe Golden Girls Lily Lindstrom Episode: "Blind Ambitions"

1986 Amazing Stories Elma Dinnock Episode: "The Pumpkin Competition"

1988 The Equalizer Sister Sara Episode: "Regrets Only"

1988 Moon Over Parador Midge

1991 A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story Ruth TV movie

1993 Mrs. Doubtfire Gloria Chaney

1993–1999 Home Improvement Lillian Patterson 5 episodes

1995–1996 Client, TheThe Client Momma Love 21 episodes

1996 Mr. Wrong Mrs. Alston

1996 Loss of Innocence, AA Loss of Innocence Christina Eriksen TV movie

1996 Homicide: Life on the Street Mrs. Rath Episode: "The Heart of a Saturday Night"

1998 Parent Trap, TheThe Parent Trap Marva Kulp, Sr

2004 It Must Be Love Mama Bell TV movie (aka Surviving Love)

2006 Stick It Judge Westreich

2007 Heartbreak Kid, TheThe Heartbreak Kid Beryl

2010 Fair Game Diane Plame

References[edit]

^ " Polly Holliday
Polly Holliday Biography (1937-)". Filmreference.com. 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-17. ^ " Alabama
Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame". theatretusc.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2010.

External links[edit]

Polly Holliday
Polly Holliday on IMDb Polly Holliday
Polly Holliday at the Internet Broadway Database
Internet Broadway Database Polly Holliday
Polly Holliday at the Internet Off-Broadway Database Polly Holliday
Polly Holliday biography as part of the cast of Alice Polly Holliday(Aveleyman)