Dixie Virginia Carter was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom Designing Women and as Randi King on the drama series Family Law. She was nominated for the 2007 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Gloria Hodge on Desperate Housewives.
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, she starred in the 1976 Broadway revival of the musical Pal Joey. Her other television roles included the sitcoms On Our Own, Filthy Rich and Diff'rent Strokes. 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.