The normally erudite, soft-spoken and well-mannered Alabama-born actress Polly Holliday had accumulated quite an extensive theater background by the time she hit it big on 70s TV as the brash, uninhibited, gum-cracking waitress Florence Jean Castleberry years, she has continued at a healthy pace -- primarily in guest spots where she plays wise and opinionated mothers and grandmothers.
Played Flo on the tv show "Alice" , which was based on Diane Ladd s character from the movie Alice Doesnt Live Here Anymore Both were nominated for the highest awards in their medium for playing Flo, Polly for an Emmy and Diane for the Oscar. They both lost.
Pollys huge, award-winning success as Flo on "Alice" did not endear her to the titular star of the show, Linda Lavin , who was increasingly irritated at having the attention and the show stolen from under her. It was reportedly due to this friction that Polly was encouraged to leave for her own spin-off series "Flo" , which did not succeed. "Alice" remained a hit for many years after.
Was nominated for Broadways 1990 Tony Award as best actress (featured role - play) for playing Big Mama in a revival of Tennessee Williams Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Close friends with actor Dustin Hoffman. They worked together in All the Presidents Men and Hoffman tried to get her cast as a producer in Tootsie .
Polly is a member of The Episcopal Church and was featured in an ad campaign on www.iamepiscopalian.org.
Wore a red wig during her time on "Alice" .
Holliday attended Alabama College for Women (now the University of Montevallo, a small liberal arts college just below Birmingham, Alabama).
Her first Broadway appearance following her departure from long-term TV series hits ("Alice" and "Flo") was the comedy "Arsenic and Old Lace," alongside another actress (Jean Stapleton) who was also trying to get some distance from her own long series of TV hits ("All in the Family" and "Archie Bunkers Place"). Interestingly, before "Arsenic" landed on Broadway, Stapleton appeared in the national tour with Marion Ross in the Holliday role. Ross also was aiming for her first Broadway role after a long TV run in "Happy Days" but the producers re-cast the role for Holliday when Ross was unable to be based in New York.
