How Polly Holliday Turned Childhood Memories Into ‘Alice’s Most Iconic Character

It is always sad to hear when we lose one of the stars we grew up watching on TV. Polly Holliday, the wonderful actress who played the sassy waitress Florence Jean Castleberry on the TV show Alice, passed away last year at the age of 88 after a brief period of declining health.

Holliday was the last original cast member from Alice to leave us. She never married or had children, but she left behind a character that millions felt they knew well. For anyone who watched Alice, Flo was unforgettable. Yep, without a doubt, there was a point back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s when TV audiences would tune in eagerly to see who Flo would say “Kiss my grits!” to that week.