Dixie Carter
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Dixie Carter | |
---|---|
University of Tennessee at Knoxville, University of Memphis | |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1960–2010 |
Known for | Designing Women Family Law Diff'rent Strokes |
Spouses | |
Children | 2 |
Awards | Full list |
Dixie Virginia Carter (May 25, 1939 – April 10, 2010) was an American actress. She starred as
Carter made her professional stage debut in a Memphis production of the musical Carousel in 1960 and made her Broadway debut in the 1974 musical Sextet. After appearing for two years as District Attorney Brandy Henderson on the CBS soap The Edge of Night (1974–1976), she starred in the 1976 Broadway revival of the musical Pal Joey. Her other television roles included the sitcoms On Our Own (1977–1978), Filthy Rich (1982–1983) and Diff'rent Strokes (1984–1985). She returned to Broadway to play Maria Callas in the play Master Class in 1997 and to play Mrs. Meers in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2004.
Early life
Dixie Virginia Carter was born May 25, 1939, to Esther Virginia (née Hillsman) and Halbert Leroy Carter in McLemoresville, Tennessee. Carter spent many of her early years in Memphis. She attended the University of Memphis and Southwestern at Memphis.[citation needed]
In college, she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. In 1959, Carter competed in the Miss Tennessee pageant, where she placed first runner-up to Mickie Weyland. Carter won the Miss Volunteer beauty pageant at the University of Tennessee the same year.[citation needed]
Career
In 1960, Carter made her professional stage debut in a Memphis production of
In 1967, she began an eight-year hiatus from acting, to focus on raising her two daughters;[
She appeared in series such as Out of the Blue (as Aunt Marion), On Our Own (as April Baxter), Diff'rent Strokes (as the first Maggie McKinney Drummond, Phillip Drummond's second wife), The Greatest American Hero (playing a KGB spy) and as the stuck up and conniving Carlotta Beck on Filthy Rich (1982).
Carter's appearance in Filthy Rich paved the way for her most notable role, that of sharp tongued liberal interior decorator Julia Sugarbaker in the 1986–1993 television program Designing Women, set in Atlanta. Filthy Rich was created by
In 1997, Carter starred as Maria Callas in Terrence McNally's play Master Class. She played the role from January to June. The role previously had been played by Zoe Caldwell and Patti LuPone.
Noted for portraying strong-minded Southern women, Carter provided the voice of Necile in Mike Young Productions' cartoon feature The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. She was also in the voice cast of My Neighbors the Yamadas, the English language dub of Studio Ghibli's 1999 anime movie of the same.[1]
From 1999 to 2002, she portrayed Randi King on the legal drama Family Law. From 1999 to 2000, she was a cast member on the short-lived sitcom Ladies Man, appearing as a regular on both Ladies Man and Family Law. In 2004, she made a guest appearance on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing a defense attorney named Denise Brockmorton in the episode called "Home", in which she defended the paranoid mother of two children (Diane Venora) who had manipulated her older son to kill the younger son after breaking her home rules.
In 2006–2007, Carter found a resurgence of fame with a new generation of fans portraying
Carter gave an interview in 2006 for the feature-length documentary That Guy: The Legacy of
Her final film was
Personal life
In 1967, Carter married businessman Arthur Carter (no relation). Following the birth of her daughters, Carter left acting for eight years to raise her children with Arthur's three children, Jon, Whendy and Ellen Carter.[citation needed]
She divorced Arthur Carter in 1977 and married theater and TV actor George Hearn the same year. Two years later, she and Hearn divorced.[citation needed]
In 1996, Carter published a memoir titled Trying to Get to Heaven, in which she talked frankly about her life with Hal Holbrook, Designing Women and her plastic surgery during the show's run. She acknowledged, along with other celebrities, having used human growth hormone for its antiaging properties.[3]
Political views
Carter was a registered
Death and legacy
Carter died on April 10, 2010, in Houston, Texas.[7] Holbrook said her death was caused by complications from endometrial cancer.[8] Dixie Carter was interred in McLemoresville, Tennessee.[9]
The Dixie Carter Performing Arts and Academic Enrichment Center (informally called "The Dixie") in Huntingdon, Tennessee, is named in honor of Carter.[10]
A public service announcement made by Carter in 2003 describing and offering outreach to people with spasmodic torticollis/cervical dystonia began appearing in New York and New Jersey and then across the United States in 2010.[11]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1974 | One Life to Live | Dorian Lord | Temporary recast |
1974–1976 | The Edge of Night | D.A. Olivia Brandeis Henderson | Regular role |
1977 | The Andros Targets | Rita | "The Killing of a Porno Queen" |
The Doctors | Dr. Linda Elliott | Regular role | |
1977–1978 | On Our Own | April Baxter | Main role (21 episodes) |
1979 | Out of the Blue | Marion Richards | Main role (12 episodes) |
1980 | OHMS | Nora Wing | TV film |
1981 | The Killing of Randy Webster | Billie Webster | |
1982 | Cassie & Co. | Evelyn Weller | "The Golden Silence" |
Bret Maverick | Hallie McCulloch | "Hallie" | |
Best of the West | Mae Markham | "The Pretty Prisoner" | |
Quincy, M.E. | Dr. Alicia Ranier | "The Face of Fear" | |
The Greatest American Hero | Samantha O'Neill | "Lilacs, Mr. Maxwell" | |
Lou Grant | Jessica Lindner | "Suspect" | |
1982–1983 | Filthy Rich | Carlotta Beck | Main role (15 episodes) |
1983 | Going Berserk | Angela | Feature film |
1984–1985 | Diff'rent Strokes | Maggie McKinney Drummond | Regular role (27 episodes) |
1986–1993 | Designing Women | Julia Sugarbaker | Main role (163 episodes) |
1987 | Rosie | Nancy Barker | Episode: "Valentine of Life" |
1994 | A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle | Louise Archer | TV film |
Gambler V: Playing for Keeps | Lillie Langtry | ||
Christy | Julia Huddleston | "The Sweetest Gift" | |
1995 | Dazzle | Lydie Kilkullen | TV film |
Diagnosis: Murder | D.A. Patricia Purcell | "Murder in the Courthouse" | |
1996 | Gone in the Night | Ann Dowaliby | TV film |
1997 | Fired Up | Rita | "Honey, I Shrunk the Turkey", "The Mother of All Gwens" |
1999 | My Neighbors the Yamadas | Lady #1 (voice) | Animated feature film |
The Big Day | Carol | Feature film | |
1999–2000 | Ladies Man | Peaches | Recurring role (9 episodes) |
1999–2002 | Family Law | Randi King | Main role (68 episodes) |
2000 | The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus | Necile (voice) | Direct-to-video |
2003 | The Designing Women Reunion | Herself | TV special |
Comfort and Joy | Frederica | TV film | |
2004 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Denise Brockmorton | "Home" |
2005 | Hope & Faith | Joyce Shanowski | "A Room of One's Own" |
2006–2007 | Desperate Housewives | Gloria Hodge | Recurring role (7 episodes) |
2008 | Our First Christmas | Evie Baer | TV film |
2009 | That Evening Sun | Ellen Meecham | Feature film (final role) |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Series or Play | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1976 | Theatre World Award | Outstanding Actress | Jesse and the Bandit Queen | Won |
1979 | Drama Desk Award | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play | Fathers and Sons | Nominated |
1989 | Los Angeles Women in Film Festival | Excellence in TV Episodic Comedy | Designing Women | Won |
2007 | Emmy Awards | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Desperate Housewives | Nominated |
2009 | SXSW Film Festival
|
Best Ensemble Cast | That Evening Sun | Won |
References
- ^ Dore, Shalini (April 11, 2010). "Dixie Carter dies at 70". Variety. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ SXSW unveils lineup, Variety
- ^ USA Today Archived November 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine November 15, 2000
- ^ Winter, Bill. "Dixie Carter – Libertarian". Advocates for Self-Government. Archived from the original on December 30, 2006.
- ^ "The View". Official Website. January 31, 2001. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2005.
- ^ "'Designing Women' actress Dixie Carter dies at 70; had roots in West Tennessee". The Commercial Appeal. April 11, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ Young, John (April 10, 2010). "'Designing Women' star Dixie Carter dies at age 70". EW.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "Designing Women' star Dixie Carter dies from cancer complications". CNN. April 11, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ Hanson, Justin (April 15, 2010). "Family, friends say goodbye to Dixie Carter". WMC-TV. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ "HISTORY & MISSION". The Dixie. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ "Spasmodic Torticollis / Cervical Dystonia Public Service Announcement featuring Dixie Carter". Healthznews.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011.
External links
- Dixie Carter at IMDb
- Dixie Carter at the Internet Broadway Database
- Dixie Carter at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Dixie Carter at Find a Grave