Dixie Carter Dies at 70

[Zoneboy]

Link (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ijoPRR4kAxfAAWVU6_RJ-lm3M5CAD9F0LJEG0)

LOS ANGELES — Dixie Carter, the "Designing Women" star who used her Southern charm, quick wit and stately beauty in a host of roles on Broadway and television, died Saturday. She was 70.

Publicist Steve Rohr, who represents Carter and her husband, actor Hal Holbrook, said Carter died Saturday morning. He would not disclose where she died or the cause of death. Carter and Holbrook lived in the Los Angeles area.

"This has been a terrible blow to our family," Holbrook said in a written statement. "We would appreciate everyone understanding that this is a private family tragedy."

A native of Tennessee, Carter was most famous for playing wisecracking Southerner Julia Sugarbaker for seven years on "Designing Women," the CBS sitcom that ran from 1986 to 1993. The series was the peak of a career in which she often played wealthy and self-important but independent Southern women.

She was nominated for an Emmy in 2007 for her seven-episode guest stint on the ABC hit "Desperate Housewives."

Carter's other credits include roles on the series "Family Law" and "Different Strokes."

She married Holbrook in 1984. The two had met four years earlier while making the TV movie "The Killing of Randy Webster," and although attracted to one another, each had suffered two failed marriages and were wary at first.

They finally wed two years before Carter landed her role on "Designing Women." Holbrook appeared on the show regularly in the late 1980s as her boyfriend, Reese Watson.

The two appeared together in her final project, the 2009 independent film "That Evening Sun," shot in Tennessee and based on a short story by Southern novelist William Gay.

The middle of three children, Carter was born in 1939 in McLemoresville, Tenn.

Carter was the daughter of a grocery and department store owner who died just three years ago at 96. She said at the time of his death that he taught her to believe in people's essential goodness.

"When I asked him how he handled shoplifting in his new store, which had a lot of goods on display, making it impossible to keep an eye on everything, he said, 'Most people are honest, and if they weren't, you couldn't stay in business because a thief will find a way to steal,'" Carter said. "'You can't really protect yourself, but papa and I built our business believing most people are honest and want to do right by you.'"

Carter grew up in Carroll County and made her stage debut in a 1960 production of "Carousel" in Memphis. It was the beginning of a decades-long stage career in which she relied on her singing voice as much as her acting.

She appeared in TV soap operas in the 1970s, but did not become a national star until her recurring roles on "Different Strokes" and another series, "Filthy Rich," in the 1980s.

Those two parts led to her role on "Designing Women," a comedy about the lives of four women at an interior design firm in Atlanta.

Carter and Delta Burke played the sparring sisters who ran the firm. The series also starred Annie Potts and Jean Smart.

The show, whose reruns have rarely left the airwaves, was not a typical sitcom. It tackled such topics as sexism, ageism, body image and AIDS.

"It was something so unique, because there had never been anything quite like it," Potts told The Associated Press at a 2006 cast reunion. "We had Lucy and Ethel, but we never had that exponentially expanded, smart, attractive women who read newspapers and had passions about things and loved each other and stood by each other."

Carter appeared on the drama "Family Law" from 1999 to 2002, and in her last major TV appearance she played Gloria Hodge, the surly mother-in-law to Marcia Cross's Bree on "Desperate Housewives."

Carter said the role was far from the kindly woman she played on "Designing Women."

"It's a vast difference," Carter said while filming the series. "Gloria Hodge doesn't have any redeeming qualities except her intelligence."

In addition to Holbrook, Carter is survived by daughters Mary Dixie and Ginna.



http://www.broadwayworld.com/columnpic/ndDixieCarter.JPG

[HuntingtonM15]

Oh my God...this one is a shocker. So horribly sad.

:rip:

[Stuck In The '70's]

OMG. I'm just in shock. This is so unexpected. My prayers go out to Hal Holbrook and his family. :(

[Marvo301]

:rip: Dixie Carter

[ILUVO&H]

:rip:

[Retro4Life]

So sorry to hear this. I always enjoyed her performances. :rip:

[wayman]

So sorry to hear this. I just got Season 2 of "Designing Women" this week and I've been watching episodes both last night and today. Was very surprised to hear this.

[Jude The Obscure]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...............was not expecting this at all.......... :(

[Kristen]

Tottaly wasn't expecting this. I haven't gotten DW S3 yet, but now I sort of think I should. I forgot until I read this article about Hal. :( This is definitely a shame.

- Kristen

[James"Thunder"Early]

I was shocked when I read this as well, it's so sad. May she rest in peace.

[catlover79]

:eek2: Oh my goodness - I did not see this coming at all!!! :rip: Dixie and may God be with Hal and her children at this hard time. How sad!!

[HuntingtonM15]

The title of her autobiography is rather chilling now.

[catlover79]

^ When did that book come out?

[HuntingtonM15]

^ When did that book come out?

I don't own it, but it appears the 1st edition was released in 1996.

[catlover79]

I don't own it, but it appears the 1st edition was released in 1996.
Ah, I see. I'll have to check it out one of these days. Thanks for the info. Did you get her autograph?

[HuntingtonM15]

Ah, I see. I'll have to check it out one of these days. Thanks for the info. Did you get her autograph?

No problem. Yep, I wrote to her during my first year of collecting.

[catlover79]

^ Awesome! At least you still have that keepsake. Do you have any others from the DW cast?

[HuntingtonM15]

I also got Annie Potts and Alice Ghostley through the mail, but I had to purchase Delta Burke and Jean Smart. I've always wanted Meshach Taylor's autograph, but his isn't very easy to get.

[catlover79]

I also got Annie Potts and Alice Ghostley through the mail, but I had to purchase Delta Burke and Jean Smart. I've always wanted Meshach Taylor's autograph, but his isn't very easy to get.
Ahhh, I see. How about the latter day cast - Julia Duffy, Jan Hooks and Judith Ivey?

[Marvo301]

No problem. Yep, I wrote to her during my first year of collecting.
That's a great keepsake Michael!

[HuntingtonM15]

Ahhh, I see. How about the latter day cast - Julia Duffy, Jan Hooks and Judith Ivey?

I don't have any of them, but Julia Duffy is someone who's autograph I've wanted for quite a while.

[catlover79]

I don't have any of them, but Julia Duffy is someone who's autograph I've wanted for quite a while.
Me, too. :cool:

[HuntingtonM15]

Me, too. :cool:

Do you have any DW autographs?

[Bob's TV Treasures]

Met her once, back in the days when she was doing the short-lived
NYC sitcom ON OUR OWN with Bess Armstrong.

[markway895]

It was just about a year ago we lost our lead Golden Girl, Bea Arthur. Now the leader of the Designing Women, Dixie Carter. A genuine "southern belle".

R.I.P. Ms. Carter!

[Stuck In The '70's]

Met her once, back in the days when she was doing the short-lived
NYC sitcom ON OUR OWN with Bess Armstrong.
I remember watching that show. It's so sad. Dixie Carter has been on my tv since I was a kid. :(

[80sTrivia]

I'm so very sad to hear of Dixie's unexpected passing. I always loved her portrayal of opinionated and intelligent Julia Sugarbaker on Designing Women. She was a wonderful actress and also a very talented singer. I remember some time ago when Dixie was asked to sing My Old Kentucky Home at the Kentucky Derby one year... it brought tears to the eyes of the audience. She will definitely be missed... :(

[Dragonflies]

OMG so utterly shocking and unexpected. My prayers go out to Hal and their family and friends

:rip: Dixie :(

[SueAnn_Rose]

I am so very devastated about this, I loved Dixie and am planning to get DW on DVD cause I want to see it. My thoughts and prays go out to Hal and her family. This is really an unexpected tragedy and I will miss her.

RIP Dixie Carter:(

[Brian Damage]

Holy Moly!!! I certainly didn't see this coming! :rip:

[Dr. Thong]

I can't say that I watched Designing Women with any regularity, because I didn't, but Dixie Carter was the type of actress who always gave a good performance, no matter what she was in.

I mean, this is someone who appeared on Diff'rent Strokes and still managed to walk away from it unscathed.

I did see her during her short time on Desperate Housewives and she played an evil character with such deliciousness, I hated the character. That's a sign of a good actress -- when you get so into the character that you inspire such a reaction.

Today's actresses could take a cue from Miss Carter -- it's not about being pretty or cool. It's about being the character.

[catlover79]

Do you have any DW autographs?
No, unfortunately not.

[catlover79]

Here are some pics of Dixie on one of her first big roles, ADA Brandy Henderson, on the now-defunct soap opera The Edge of Night. She was on the show from 1974-76.

[James28]

After the devastating plane crash involving the Polish President and several other top-ranking Polish officials, I have fond somebody else to mourn: Dixie Carter. Out of the blue, she passd away unexpectedly. :rip:

2010-1939=71, not 70.

[HuntingtonM15]

2010-1939=71, not 70.

Her birthday is May 25. She was 70.

[James28]

^^I do not want to be corrected on this issue. A 70 year old person would live from 1940-2010. If a person dies before his next birthday within a calendar year, it would be terrible and would be considered over the line. I mean, it just hurts. I wouldn't want to end up doing so myself because my own age would be considered incorrect. I have a right to express my opinion and be conscious about this and have been so sine Michael Jackson's death last year

[HuntingtonM15]

I have a right to express my opinion and be conscious about this.

And I have a right to disagree with it. She wouldn't have turned 71 until next month, so I personally don't see how it makes any sense to say that was her age.

[Dragonflies]

^^I do not want to be corrected on this issue. A 70 year old person would live from 1940-2010. If a person dies before his next birthday within a calendar year, it would be terrible and would be considered over the line. I mean, it just hurts. I wouldn't want to end up doing so myself because my own age would be considered incorrect. I have a right to express my opinion and be conscious about this and have been so sine Michael Jackson's death last year

Honestly what does it matter, this is nothing to bicker over. She hadn't reached her 71st birthday so that makes her 70.

Now let's get back to topic at hand

[HuntingtonM15]

Has anyone seen any statements yet from any of her co-stars? I haven't seen any.

[Dragonflies]

Me either. They're probably still in shock over the news of her passing :(

[Marvo301]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6954363.html
The Houston Chronicle is reporting the cause of Dixie Carters death as endometrial cancer. (cancer of the uterus)

[markway895]

Has anyone seen any statements yet from any of her co-stars? I haven't seen any.
I imagine we'll hear more on such shows as Entertainment Tonight on Monday, and they'll probably have statements from some of her co-stars.

[catlover79]

I imagine we'll hear more on such shows as Entertainment Tonight on Monday, and they'll probably have statements from some of her co-stars.
That's my feeling. I'm happy it seems that she mended fences with Delta Burke several years ago (they were on the outs for quite a few years, as I recall).

[OOliver]

I did buy her book when it first came out, and I still have it somewhere. It's not a traditional memoir - it's the type in which she 'advises' the reader to have a better life (or, "Try to get to heaven") through her own life experiences in which she shares. It's a book I have picked up again and again over the years, and re-read different passages...and taken her 'words of wisdom'. (I believe the book has been long OOP).

She will be sadly missed. Shocking news, indeed!

[Janice]

I was shocked and saddened when I heard this. Dixie Carter was one classy lady who didn't take any guff from anyone. God bless her soul, and her loved ones, espeically her husband Hal. This is a heartbreaking loss for him. I can't even imagine. She was too young.

[catlover79]

I was shocked and saddened when I heard this. Dixie Carter was one classy lady who didn't take any guff from anyone. God bless her soul, and her loved ones, espeically her husband Hal. This is a heartbreaking loss for him. I can't even imagine. She was too young.
It's also hard to believe that Dixie was the polar opposite of the outspoken liberal that was Julia Sugarbaker. I read someplace years ago that Dixie made a deal with the show's producers - for every political speech Julia gave, Dixie would get to sing a song on the show. I think that was a fair trade-off.

[catlover79]

They were obviously still very much in love, right to the end. Dixie and Hal, through the years:

[OH Nuts!]

Very sorry to hear about her passing - always enjoyed her on TV - my condolences to Mr. Holbrook and family

[PZelda]

I went on a quest a few years ago to try to get autographs from the ladies on Designing Women... But I only got Dixie and Annie Potts. I heard that other people didn't have a lot of success with the other ladies, so I never did try... Although I am still waiting to hear back from Delta Burke. It's been 6 1/2 years now... Pretty sure I'm not gonna hear from her. Heh.

Anyway, Dixie was one of my first successes when I started collecting back in 2003...

http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs440.snc3/25278_668107620105_29413753_37822811_7263470_n.jpg

I have always adored Designing Women and always will. I always loved how classy everybody looked on the show. :) (that was one of my fave things - Julia Sugarbaker and her heavily shoulder-padded 1980s outfits. :lol: ) One other thing I really like is how Dixie always looked 1940s chic, and how she could still pull off that look after all these years. It really worked for her. :)

RIP, Dixie.

[steevo]

My prayers go out to Hal Holbrook and family during this time. I always loved Dixie's work. She was a classy and beautiful lady.

:rip: Dixie.

[catlover79]

I had always intended to write to Dixie and request an autograph. I'm sorry I never made the time to.

My favorite Julia moment: when she got her head stuck in between the bars of the staircase, and she and the other girls were frantically trying to hide it (they were at some fancy dinner party). :lol: Anyone else remember that one?

[Janice]

I just saw Julia on tv doing a PSA (for a neck problem), and I got so sad. She looked so alive. They shouldn't air that anymore, imo.

[browneyes106]

RIP Dixie

[Family Ties Forever!]

RIP

[HuntingtonM15]

I just saw Julia on tv doing a PSA (for a neck problem), and I got so sad. She looked so alive. They shouldn't air that anymore, imo.

I haven't seen it, but I agree. It should be taken off the air.

[sara]

:rip:

[Lee]

According to her husband, she died of Endometrial Cancer, which had
been diagnosed earlier in the year. May Dixie Carter rest in peace.

[Lee]

^^I do not want to be corrected on this issue. A 70 year old person would live from 1940-2010. If a person dies before his next birthday within a calendar year, it would be terrible and would be considered over the line. I mean, it just hurts. I wouldn't want to end up doing so myself because my own age would be considered incorrect. I have a right to express my opinion and be conscious about this and have been so sine Michael Jackson's death last year

The fact remains that if a person dies before their birthday, they are
still the same age that they reached on their previous birthday. Just
because you are sad about Michael Jackson's passing doesn't mean
that every celebrity condolence thread should turn into an argument
about whether a person was one age or another at the time of their
passing.

[jasonbigley]

I had no idea that Dixie was even sick. Wow! This is very sad news. This is also unexpected.

[Marvo301]

I had no idea that Dixie was even sick. Wow! This is very sad news. This is also unexpected.
I think Dixie, Hal, and their family kept her diagnosis and illness very private which is why it came as such a shock to all of us when she passed away.

[LuLu Rogers]

So sad, she was such a beautiful and intelligent woman. Dixie, you will be missed! :( :rip:

http://blog.al.com/aharvey/2008/09/large_Dixie.JPG

[Marvo301]

She was a true southern belle. The epitome of grace and class. Rest in peace Dixie.

[catlover79]

I think Dixie, Hal, and their family kept her diagnosis and illness very private which is why it came as such a shock to all of us when she passed away.
I'm totally surprised that they were able to keep it secret until after her passing in these days of TMZ and other paparazzi. A miracle, really. I'm glad that Dixie DID get to keep her privacy.

[Marvo301]

I'm totally surprised that they were able to keep it secret until after her passing in these days of TMZ and other paparazzi. A miracle, really. I'm glad that Dixie DID get to keep her privacy.
It's amazing in this age of the internet, cell phones, etc. that they were able to maintain this kind of privacy. But good for them for doing so!

[catlover79]

It's amazing in this age of the internet, cell phones, etc. that they were able to maintain this kind of privacy. But good for them for doing so!
Exactly! What is their secret??

[Zoneboy]

Link (http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/commercialappeal/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=141801015)

DIXIE VIRGINIA CARTER HOLBROOK

McLemoresville - Dixie VIRGINIA CARTER HOLBROOK, acclaimed actress and singer, daughter of Halbert Leroy and Esther Virginia Carter, died at three minutes after seven o'clock on Saturday morning, April 10, 2010, with husband, Hal Holbrook and family by her side. Ms. Carter was a Southern lady in the very finest sense of the phrase. In a review of Ms. Carter's cabaret act, Stephen Holden, critic for The New York Times, wrote, "Few cabaret singers have the dramatic mobility of Dixie Carter, the superb singing actress and comedian." He also wrote: "What stamps Ms. Carter's act is the utter fearlessness." The fearlessness to which Mr. Holden referred characterized Ms. Carter's professional and personal life. She was never afraid to go out on a limb. Open to experiencing joy and grief, she lived life to the fullest. In personal and professional descriptions of Ms. Carter which have appeared in letters and publications across the country in recent days, friends, critics, supporters and fans refer to her as strong-willed, spirited, classy, refined, brilliant, funny and warm-hearted. On Monday morning, her longtime friend and former co-star, Annie Potts was quoted describing her friend as "beautiful and brainy, smart and funny, prim and sexy, wickedly talented and divinely sweet....Dixie Carter was a Goddess." Ms. Carter resided in Beverly Hills, California with Mr. Holbrook, her husband of 26 years. They also spent a significant part of every year in McLemoresville Tennessee, halfway between Memphis and Nashville, in the house in which Ms. Carter, her siblings and her father were all born. Throughout her life, Ms. Carter remained closely connected to her roots in Tennessee, considering her home there an essential and peaceful refuge. Ms. Carter was born on May 25, 1939. She was one of three children of Halbert Carter, a grocery and department store owner, and his wife, Virginia. Ms. Carter was valedictorian of her high school class and won the math award. She attended the University of Tennessee and Southwestern at Memphis and graduated from Memphis State. At age 4, Ms. Carter heard a broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera and decided, at that point, that she would move to New York to become an opera singer. Music continued to be her great love throughout her life. Growing up, she played the piano and sang. Music played a large role in her family's household as did literature. She was a voracious reader as a child and throughout her life, having been instilled with a love of language at a very early age. She said that from the time she could recall, a large volume of Shakespeare and an unabridged dictionary lay on the front hall table accessible at all times. The family would regularly refer to the dictionary to resolve disputes over the meanings of specific words. Ms. Carter made her professional acting debut at the Front Street Theatre in Memphis, playing Julie Jordan in a 1960 production of "Carousel" and moved to New York in 1963. That same year she played Perdita in a Joseph Papp production of "The Winter’s Tale" in Central Park. She then joined the Music Theater of Lincoln Center, under the leadership of Richard Rodgers. In 1966, she left to join the revues at the Upstairs at the Downstairs nightclub. Other performers at the nightclub included Lily Tomlin and Madeline Kahn. Ms. Carter first graced the Broadway stage in "Sextet" (Anne) in 1974 and received glowing reviews, followed by "Pal Joey" (as Melba Snyder) in 1976. More recent Broadway turns include her triumphant "Maria Callas" in Terrence McNally’s Master Class, a brilliant performance which garnered stellar reviews from critics across the board, including the New York Times. Ms. Carter returned to Broadway to smashing success in 2004 as corrupt, funny landlady "Mrs. Meers" in the Tony Award-winning musical "Thoroughly Modern Millie." Off-Broadway, she has starred in "A Coupla’ White Chicks Sittin’ Around Talkin’" and at the New York Public Theatre in "Taken in Marriage," "Fathers and Sons" (Drama Desk Award) and "Jesse and the Bandit Queen," for which she won a Theatre World Award. More recent theatre credits include Oscar Wilde's "Lady Windermere's Fan" and "A Woman of No Importance" at the Shakespeare Theater in Washington D.C. Ms. Carter has arguably created the most memorable strong Southern female characters in television history. With her celebrated portrayal of Julia Sugarbaker, the head of a four-woman interior design business in Atlanta, on the long-running hit series "Designing Women," Ms. Carter elevated Southern women creating a positive image and role model with her intelligent, formidable Sugarbaker, an image which did not exist in the media prior to that. The series also allowed the producers to showcase her formidable vocal talents. Over the years, Ms. Carter had starred in no less than six television series, including a 1977 series, "On Our Own", "Filthy Rich" in the early 1980s, "Diff’rent Strokes" in 1984 and 1985 and CBS' "Family Law" from 1999 to 2002. She received an Emmy nomination in 2007 for a recurring role as Marcia Cross’s scary mother-in-law on ABC’s "Desperate Housewives." In many ways, it was her singing and cabaret career which brought her the greatest joy. "To me, there’s no feeling as gorgeous as the feeling of singing," she told The New York Times. "It’s like flying." In 1967, Ms. Carter married Arthur L. Carter, a New York investment banker who later became the owner and publisher of The New York Observer. They had two daughters. Ms. Carter left show business for eight years after her marriage. She and Mr. Carter divorced in 1977. In 1984, she married Mr. Holbrook, whom she had met doing a 1980 television film, "The Killing of Randy Webster." Through the years, Mr. Holbrook and Ms. Carter worked together on the stage and on screen. Her last screen appearance was with him, in "That Evening Sun," released last year. She played the wife of an elderly Southern farmer (Mr. Holbrook) who was fighting for his property, a role which Mr. Holbrook modeled after Ms. Carter's father, Halbert. Ms. Carter is the author of "Trying to Get to Heaven," which was published by Simon Schuster. Those fortunate enough to know Ms. Carter can take comfort that she has arrived there. In addition to Mr. Holbrook, Ms. Carter is survived by her daughters, Ginna Carter of Los Angeles and Mary Dixie Carter (Stephen) Kempf of Brooklyn; her sister, Mrs. Melba Helen Carter (Steve) Heath of San Anselmo, California; her sister-in-law, Mrs. Margo Carter of Memphis, Tenn.; her nieces, Hillsman Heath, Un Chu Carter; her nephews, James (Amelia) Carter, Horace (Missy) Carter, Stephen Heath, and Christian Heath; and all her beautiful great nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be conducted on Thursday, April 15 at 11 a.m. at the McLemoresville United Methodist Church. Arrangements handled by: Dilday Carter Funeral Home - Huntingdon, Tennessee. To honor the solemnity of the services the family request that no children attend. The family will receive friends on Wednesday from 3-6 p.m. at the residence of Mrs. Dixie Carter Holbrook in McLemoresville. Dilday-Carter Funeral Home (731)986-8281