Actress Dixie Carter died 10 April 2010. Her husband, actor Hal Holbrook, announced her death, but not the cause from complications due to endometrial cancer, and said “This has been a terrible blow to our family. We would appreciate everyone understanding that this is a private family tragedy. Thank you.” Born 25 May 1939 in McLemoresville, Tennessee, she was best known for her role as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom Designing Women (1986-93). She earned her only Emmy nomination in 2007, for her guest role on Desperate Housewives.
As a child, she dreamed of being an opera singer, but a tonsillectomy at the age of 7 crippled those chances. She made her professional stage debut in 1960 in Carousel, and then moved to New York in 1963, appearing in Joseph Papp’s production of Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale. She took an eight-year break from the stage after marrying Arthur Carter and having two daughters (they played her nieces in an episode of Designing Women). Upon her return to acting at age 35, she couldn’t find an agent, but an offer of a role in Los Angeles prompted her to move the family to California.
In 1977, she divorced Carter and married actor George Hearn. That marriage lasted two years. In 1984, she married Holbrook.
She starred in several short-lived series—including On Our Own (1977-78), the fantasy Out of the Blue (1979), and Filthy Rich (1982-83)—before landing at Designing Women. After that, she co-starred in the dramatic series Family Law (1999-2002). Her other genre appearances include: Sudbury (2004), The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus (2000), and The Greatest American Hero (1982).