Dixie Virginia Carter (May 25, 1939 – April 10, 2010) was an American film, television, and stage actress. From 1986 to 1993, she starred as Julia Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women. Carter made her professional stage debut in a Memphis production of the musical Carousel in 1960, before moving to New York in 1963. In 1974, she made her Broadway debut in the musical Sextet.