'Alice,' 'Gremlins' Actress Polly Holliday Dead at 88

Polly Holliday -- a veteran actress with roles in some of the biggest movies of the last few decades -- has died ... according to her longtime agent.

The star passed away Tuesday at her home in Manhattan, her agent and friend Dennis Aspland tells TMZ. He also told us Polly battled health issues for several years before dying of suspected pneumonia.

Holliday began her career on the screen in the mid-1970s ... grabbing parts in "All the President's Men" and "Distance" before she won a lead role on the hit sitcom "Alice."

In the show -- loosely based on Martin Scorsese's 1974 movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" -- Holliday played Flo Castleberry, one of the title character's coworkers.

Fans will remember her famous catchphrase "Kiss my grits" ... a phrase she would later admit was totally Hollywood-made -- with no connection to a real Southern regionalism.

Holliday appeared on the first four seasons of the show before leaving to lead her own spin-off, "Flo." The show survived just 29 episodes, while "Alice" made another 110 after Holliday left it. Between the two shows, Holliday was nominated for 4 Primetime Emmy Awards and won the 1980 Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Television Series Golden Globe.

Polly had a number of other roles in iconic projects as well ... including parts in the films "Gremlins," "Mrs. Doubtfire," "The Parent Trap" and TV shows "The Golden Girls" and "Home Improvement." Her last credit came in the 2010 film "Fair Game" starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn.

Holliday was also an accomplished stage actress ... appearing numerous times on Broadway and netting a Tony Award nomination in 1990.

Holliday was 88.