Polly Holliday, the last surviving member of the hit ’70s sitcom Alice, passed away on Tuesday aged 88 after enduring years of health issues. The news was confirmed to The New York Times by her close friend and agent, Dennis Aspland. The legendary actress got her start in theater before shooting to fame as Florence Jean ‘Flo’ Castleberry on Alice, alongside co-stars Linda Lavin and Beth Howland. She captured audiences with her quick wit and drawling signature catchphrase, “Kiss my grits”, which is still quoted to this day.
Polly was the last surviving member of the original Alice cast, and passed away inside her Manhattan home, according to Dennis. She was born and raised in Alabama, and studied piano at Alabama College for Women, before going on to earn her degree in music education at Florida State University. Despite her musical passion, the redhead decided to try her hand at acting after she fell in love with the craft at college.
“I started acting long before I knew what I was doing,” she told Actors’ Equity. “At age 19 and a junior in college, I joined the cast of a summer outdoor theater in North Carolina called Unto These Hills Outdoor Drama Center. I was a choir singer, a square dancer, and understudied a lead role…That job paid room and board and about $40 a week.”
Her big break came in 1974 when Dustin Hoffman cast her in the Broadway play All Over Town, which led him to nab her a part in All the President’s Men two years later. From there, she was encouraged to audition for Alice, which was adapted from Martin Scorsese’s 1974 film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
“I decided I wouldn’t dye my hair for the tryout,” she said in a 1980 interview. “And I just pushed my normal Alabama accent up a bit. One of the producers actually fell off his chair laughing.” Polly added that she was not at all like her waitress character, and instead preferred a quieter life away from the spotlight.
“I’m really not like Flo in my looks or lifestyle…I’m a person of few wants and very few needs,” she said. “I spent 10 years in repertory living with whatever I could fit into a VW, and I like to live that way.” She starred in the show from 1976 to 1980, and won two Golden Globes for her work, as well as several Emmy nominations.
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyPolly went on to join the 1990 Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, nabbing a Tony nomination in the process. She never forgot her love of theatre and told The Tampa Bay Times in 1992 that it was the best way to practise the craft. “An actor is unfortunate if he doesn’t get to spend a lot of time onstage,” she said. “When you’re onstage, you get to practise every night.”
© FilmMagicOn the silver screen, Polly appeared in The Golden Girls, The Equalizer, and Home Improvement, while her filmography includes Mrs. Doubtfire, The Parent Trap and Fair Game, to name a few. She never married and had no kids, instead preferring to dedicate her life to her work.
Read the full article here
