Profile: Dixie Carter, Star of Designing Women and Desperate Housewives Dead at 70

Dixie Carter, best known for her portrayal of successful Atlanta businesswoman Julia Sugarbaker on the hit CBS show "Designing Women," passed away in a Houston hospital on April 10. The 70-year-old Tennessee actress died of complications from cancer. Her husband Hal Holbrook, who is most famous for his appearances as Mark Twain, issued the following written statement: "This has been a terrible blow to our family. We would appreciate everyone understanding that this is a private family tragedy." (numerous news sites)

Dixie Carter -- Tennessee Native

Carter was born May 25, 1939 in McLemoresville, Tennessee, and although she moved to California a long time ago for her acting career, she renovated her old family home in McLemoresville where she and her husband Hal Holbrook have resided part of each year since they married in 1984. Many times on family trips from Nashville to Jackson, Tennessee, we would pass the Carter home if we took Highway 70 instead of the interstate, so it always felt like Dixie Carter was a neighbor. This prompted me to follow Dixie Carter's career through the years, and she was certainly an interesting personality to watch.

Carter attended Memphis State University where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in English. In 1959, she was first runner-up in the Miss Tennessee pageant. (Wikipedia)

Dixie Carter -- Acting Career

Her first stage work was in a 1960 Memphis production of "Carousel." (LATimes) After that Carter pursued singing and acting and had a long career as a stage actress (including on and off-Broadway), cabaret singer and television actress before landing the role of Sugarbaker on "Designing Women" which ran from 1986 to 1993. She continued acting after "Designing Women" went off the air, most notably in another show about women, "Desperate Housewives," where she played the sinister character Gloria Hodge and earned an Emmy nomination in the process. More recently Carter starred with her husband in a film which was shot on location in East Tennessee in 2008 called That Evening Sun.

Dixie Carter -- Republican and Christian

According to Examiner, Carter was an oddity of sorts in Hollywood -- not only a die-hard Republican but an outspoken Christian. She once jokingly described herself as "the only Republican in show business" (Wikipedia)

Dixie Carter -- on Christianity

Cleveland.com reports Carter made these interesting observations on the state of Christianity today: "How come we've got to the point where Christians must apologize for being who they are? Why have Christians allowed themselves to get into the position of being the bad guys? That is a very sad turn of events, and we'd better do something about it."

Dixie Carter - a Tennessee Treasure

Carter was well-loved in her home state of Tennessee where The Dixie Carter Performing Arts and Academic Enrichment Center in Huntingdon, Tennessee, was named after her. (dixiepac.net) She will be missed by her fans and her Tennessee neighbors who feel like a Tennessee treasure has been lost.

Dixie Carter: May 25, 1939 - April 10, 2010

Sources:

LATimes
Examiner - Designing Woman and Tennessee actress Dixie Carter dies of cancer
Wikipedia
Cleveland.com
dixiepac.net

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