Dixie Carter
This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(April 2021) |
Dixie Carter | |
---|---|
Born | Dixie Virginia Carter May 25, 1939 |
Died | April 10, 2010 Houston,Texas, U.S. | (aged 70)
Resting place | McLemoresville Cemetery |
Alma mater | University of Tennessee at Knoxville, University of Memphis |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1960–2009 |
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 asJulia Sugarbakeron the sitcomDesigning Women(1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama seriesFamily Law(1999–2002). She was nominated for the 2007Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Seriesfor her role as Gloria Hodge onDesperate Housewives(2006–2007).
Carter made her professional stage debut in a Memphis production of the musicalCarouselin 1960 and made her Broadway debut in the 1974 musicalSextet.After appearing for two years as District Attorney Brandy Henderson on the CBS soapThe Edge of Night(1974–1976), she starred in the 1976Broadwayrevival of the musicalPal Joey.Her other television roles included the sitcomsOn Our Own(1977–1978),Filthy Rich(1982–1983) andDiff'rent Strokes(1984–1985). She returned to Broadway to playMaria Callasin the playMaster Classin 1997 and to play Mrs. Meers in the musicalThoroughly Modern Milliein 2004.
Early life
[edit]Dixie Virginia Carter was born May 25, 1939, to Esther Virginia (née Hillsman) and Halbert Leroy Carter inMcLemoresville, Tennessee.Carter spent many of her early years inMemphis.She attended theUniversity of MemphisandSouthwestern at Memphis.[citation needed]
In college, she was a member of theDelta Delta Deltasorority. In 1959, Carter competed in theMiss Tennesseepageant, where she placed first runner-up to Mickie Weyland. Carter won the Miss Volunteer beauty pageant at theUniversity of Tennesseethe same year.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]In 1960, Carter made her professional stage debut in a Memphis production ofCarousel,co-starringGeorge Hearn,whom she would go on to marry 17 years later. She moved to New York City in 1963 and got a part in a production ofShakespeare'sThe Winter's Tale.[citation needed]
In 1967, she began an eight-year hiatus from acting, to focus on raising her two daughters;[citation needed]she returned to acting in 1974, when she filled in for actressNancy PinkertonasDorian CrameronOne Life to Livewhile Pinkerton was onmaternity leave.She subsequently was cast in the role of AssistantD.A.Olivia Brandeis "Brandy" Henderson on the soap operaThe Edge of Nightfrom 1974 to 1976. Carter took the role though some advised her that doing a daytime soap might negatively affect her career. However, she was first noticed in this role, and after leavingEdge of Nightin 1977, she appeared in several episodes of another soap opera,The Doctorsas socialite Linda Elliott. She relocated from New York to Los Angeles and pursued prime-time television roles. In 1976, she won theTheater WorldAwardforJesse and the Bandit Queen.
She appeared in series such asOut 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 aKGBspy) and as the stuck up and conniving Carlotta Beck onFilthy Rich(1982).
Carter's appearance inFilthy Richpaved the way for her most notable role, that of sharp tongued liberal interior decorator Julia Sugarbaker in the 1986–1993 television programDesigning Women,set in Atlanta.Filthy Richwas created byLinda Bloodworth Thomason,who also createdDesigning Women.(In the beginning, without knowing the content of the show, Bloodworth-Thomason's only idea was to create a show starring Carter and fellow castmatesDelta Burke,Annie PottsandJean Smart.Filthy Richalso featured fellowDesigning Womencast member Delta Burke in its cast.) After much persuasion from creators Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and her husbandHarry Thomason,Hal Holbrook,Carter's real-life husband, had a recurring role as attorney Reese Watson. Carter's daughters Ginna and Mary Dixie Carter also had guest star roles as Julia Sugarbaker's nieces Jennifer and Camilla in the episode "The Naked Truth" in 1989.
In 1997, Carter starred asMaria CallasinTerrence McNally's playMaster Class.She played the role from January to June. The role previously had been played byZoe CaldwellandPatti LuPone.
Noted for portraying strong-minded Southern women, Carter provided the voice of Necile in Mike Young Productions' cartoon featureThe Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.She was also in the voice cast ofMy Neighbors the Yamadas,the English language dub of Studio Ghibli's 1999 anime movieof the same.[1]
From 1999 to 2002, she portrayed Randi King on the legal dramaFamily Law.From 1999 to 2000, she was a cast member on the short-lived sitcomLadies Man,appearing as a regular on bothLadies ManandFamily Law.In 2004, she made a guest appearance onLaw & 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 portrayingGloria Hodge,Bree Van de Kamp's disturbed (and scheming) mother-in-law onDesperate Housewives.CreatorMarc Cherrystarted in Hollywood as Carter's assistant on the set ofDesigning Women.Her first and onlyEmmy Awardsnomination was for the59th Primetime Emmy Awardsunder the category ofOutstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Seriesfor her role as Gloria Hodge.
Carter gave an interview in 2006 for the feature-length documentaryThat Guy: The Legacy ofDub Taylor,which received support from Taylor's family and many of Dub's previous coworkers, includingBill Cosby,Peter Fonda,Don Collier,Cheryl Rogers-Barnett and many others. The project was scheduled to have its world premiere at Taylor's childhood hometown ofAugusta, Georgiaon April 14, 2007.
Her final film wasThat Evening Sun,which she filmed with her husband Hal Holbrook in East Tennessee in summer 2008. The film, produced by Dogwood Entertainment (a subsidiary of DoubleJay Creative), is based on a short story byWilliam Gay.That Evening Sunpremiered atSouth By Southwest,where it competed for the narrative feature grand jury prize.[2]
Personal life
[edit]In 1967, Carter married businessmanArthur 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 actorGeorge Hearnthe same year. Two years later, she and Hearn divorced.[citation needed]She marriedHal Holbrookin 1984.[3]
In 1996, Carter published a memoir titledTrying to Get to Heaven,in which she talked frankly about her life with Holbrook,Designing Womenand her plastic surgery during the show's run. She acknowledged, along with other celebrities, having used humangrowth hormonefor its antiaging properties.[4]
Political views
[edit]Carter was a registeredRepublicanwho described her political views aslibertarian.[5]She was interviewed byBill O'Reillyalong withPat Booneat the2000 Republican National Convention,and once jokingly described herself as "the only Republican in show business".[6]However, Carter'sDesigning Womencharacter, Julia Sugarbaker, was known for herliberalpolitical views and related speeches, for which she was nicknamed "The Terminator." Carter disagreed with some of her character's beliefs, and made a deal with the show's producers that if Julia delivered a "Terminator" monologue, she would get to sing a song in a future episode. In later years she was also a libertarian Republican who supported civil rights and same-sex marriage.[7]
Death and legacy
[edit]On April 10, 2010, Carter died inHoustonat the age of 70, from complications ofendometrial cancer.[3][8]She was interred in McLemoresville, Tennessee.[9]
The Dixie Carter Performing Arts and Academic Enrichment Center (informally called "The Dixie" ) inHuntingdon, Tennessee,is named in honor of Carter.[10]
A public service announcement made by Carter in 2003 describing and offering outreach to people withspasmodic torticollis/cervical dystoniabegan appearing in New York and New Jersey and then across the United States in 2010.[11]
Filmography
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- ^Dore, Shalini (April 11, 2010)."Dixie Carter dies at 70".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on August 2, 2023.RetrievedAugust 2,2023.
- ^SXSW unveils lineup,Variety
- ^ab"Designing Women' star Dixie Carter dies from cancer complications".CNN.April 11, 2010.RetrievedAugust 3,2023.
- ^USA TodayArchivedNovember 27, 2010, at theWayback MachineNovember 15, 2000
- ^Winter, Bill."Dixie Carter – Libertarian".Advocates for Self-Government.Archived fromthe originalon December 30, 2006.
- ^"The View".Official Website.January 31, 2001. Archived fromthe originalon January 24, 2021.RetrievedMarch 9,2005.
- ^"'Designing Women' actress Dixie Carter dies at 70; had roots in West Tennessee ".The Commercial Appeal.April 11, 2010.RetrievedApril 11,2010.[dead link]
- ^Young, John (April 10, 2010)."'Designing Women' star Dixie Carter dies at age 70 ".EW.com.Archivedfrom the original on June 11, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 19,2021.
- ^Hanson, Justin (April 15, 2010)."Family, friends say goodbye to Dixie Carter".WMC-TV.RetrievedAugust 3,2023.
- ^"HISTORY & MISSION".The Dixie.RetrievedJune 4,2022.
- ^"Spasmodic Torticollis / Cervical Dystonia Public Service Announcement featuring Dixie Carter".Healthznews.com. Archived fromthe originalon July 11, 2011.
External links
[edit]- 1939 births
- 2010 deaths
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actresses from Tennessee
- American film actresses
- American libertarians
- American soap opera actresses
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- American voice actresses
- American cabaret singers
- California Republicans
- Deaths from cancer in Texas
- Deaths from endometrial cancer
- LGBTQ rights activists from California
- People from Carroll County, Tennessee
- Rhodes College alumni
- University of Memphis alumni