Biography
Polly Dean Holliday (2 July 1937 – 9 September 2025) was an American actress who worked in theatre, television and film. She was born in Jasper, Alabama, and studied at Alabama College (now the University of Montevallo) and Florida State University. She began her professional career in the early 1960s with regional theatre and moved to New York in 1973.
Holliday became widely known for playing the sassy waitress Florence Jean “Flo” Castleberry on the CBS sitcom Alice (1976–1980), a role she reprised in the short-lived spin-off Flo (1980–1981). She received two Golden Globe Awards for the part. Her film credits include All the President’s Men (1976), Gremlins (1984), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) as Gloria, The Parent Trap (1998) and Fair Game (2010). She was also nominated for a Tony Award for her stage work.
Holliday appeared in recurring television roles on Home Improvement and The Client, and received a Saturn Award for Gremlins. She was inducted into the Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame.
