The Primetime Emmy-nominated actress is best remembered for her role as the outspoken Julia Sugarbaker in Designing Women, the 1980s sitcom which followed four women - and later their handyman - who run an Atlanta-based design firm. Dixie Carter left her children's design more up to chance but both bear a striking resemblance to their mother, without the need for any plasterboard or solvents.
Give Sugarbaker & Associates a ring as we catch up on the legacy of Sugarbaker herself, her two children and her early days in show business.
© Getty ImagesDixie Carter's Julia Sugarbaker was loved for her outspoken nature
Who is Dixie Carter?
Dixie Carter is most commonly remembered as one quarter of Designing Women's core leading ladies. Dixie herself starred as feminist Julia Sugarbaker who runs Sugarbaker & Associates from her home.
She also appeared in Desperate Housewives and multiple instalments of Filthy Rich and appeared alongside Mia Wasikowska in That Evening Sun (2009).
© WireImageGinna Carter is the child of Dixie and her then-husband Arthur
Ginna Carter
Ginna Carter has appeared with some serious star power onscreen. She appeared on her mother's hit show Designing Women as Camille Sugarbaker, guested on Joan of Arcadia in 2003 and worked alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Diane Keaton on The Family Stone.
She was born to mother Dixie Carter and her first husband Arthur L. Carter. Dixie and Arthur were married for a decade, tying the knot in 1967 and separating in 1977.
© Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesMary Dixie Carter is the sister of Ginna and shares her parents' love of stories
Mary Dixie Carter
Mary Dixie Carter was also born to parents Dixie and her first husband, banker and publisher Arthur. It seems Mary has inherited her parents' passion for storytelling and now works as a writer.
Her novels The Photographer and Marguerite by the Lake have been well received, while her journalistic writing has appeared in publications like TIME and The Economist. She is married to Steven Kempf and a mother of two, via IMDb.
© Getty ImagesDixie seemed bound for success from the start, with TV roles proving her sitcom talents
Early start
The Primetime-Emmy nominee got her start onscreen in the mid '70s with roles an episode appearance in Camera Three followed by a six-episode run across two years of The Edge of Night.
Appearances in a whole host of episodes of On Our Own and 33 episodes Diff'rent Strokes solidify her talent TV sitcoms which would eventually lead into her best known role on Designing Women.
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesDixie Carter was a beloved screen actor and earned several Emmy nods across her career
