Trivia

Dixie Carter's daughters, Mary Dixie Carter and Ginna Carter, played her nieces in the Designing Women (1986) episode, The Naked Truth (1989).

Was valedictorian of her high school class.

The Dixie Carter Performing Arts and Academic Enrichment Center, also known as "The Dixie", was named in honor of Carroll County's most famous resident. Dixie performed her cabaret show to raise funds for the center, which also features a museum honoring the cultural contributions of both Dixie Carter and her husband, Hal Holbrook. Mr. Holbrook served as a consultant to the architect and gave so much attention to the design and development of the theatre in the Dixie, that the local arts council bestowed the name, "The Hal Holbrook Theatre" on the new venue in honor of his assistance. As a result of the couple's contributions and hard work, residents from the area are being exposed to everything from "The Velveteen Rabbit" to a Samurai style rendition of "Macbeth".

Carter is her birth name, and her first husband was no relation.

Member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority, Delta Sigma chapter.

Attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville before transferring to Rhodes College in Memphis TN.

Release of her memoir, "Trying to Get to Heaven". (1996)

She said she was smitten with her third and last husband Hal Holbrook when she met him on The Killing of Randy Webster (1981), because he was the first person who didn't make fun of her name Dixie.

Dixie's time on Diff'rent Strokes (1978) was so bad, she refused to talk about it in interviews. If it was mentioned she wouldn't say anything. It isn't known if she maintained contact with any of her co-stars. However, in her 1996 memoir "Trying to Get to Heaven", she wrote that actor Conrad Bain who played her husband on the show, made her laugh with a put-on Irish accent. Specifically, she wrote: "He kept me laughing with such nonsense through the time I served on Diff'rent Strokes (1978)".

The Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center opened in December 2005 in Huntingdon, Tennessee.

Travels extensively as a public speaker and appears in concert across the country.

Appeared as "Mrs. Arbuthnot" in Oscar Wilde's "A Woman of No Importance" at The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. (1988).

Attended Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College).

She has admitted to having plastic surgery at least twice.

Received the Tennessee Governor's Award for excellence in the arts and the Evangeline Booth Award in April 2007 for her work as national spokesperson for the Salvation Army.

Her father, Halbert Leroy Carter, died on February 24, 2007 of natural causes in McLemoresville, Tennessee at age 96.

Appeared as Mrs. Erlynne in Lady Windermere's Fan at The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Television public service announcements for the Salvation Army. These follow print and radio public service announcements which appeared in 2005. (January 2006)

She originated the role of Maggie as Conrad Bain's wife on Diff'rent Strokes (1978) but was replaced by Mary Ann Mobley when the show changed networks. A few years later, she acted with Mobley on an episode of "Designing Women" titled A Blast from the Past (1990).

Sister of Melba Helen Heath.

Born on exactly the same date as Sir Ian McKellen.

Playing Amanda Cross in the play "Southern Comforts" at the Coconut Grove Playhouse, Miami Florida. (February 2006)

Stepmother of David Holbrook.

Even though, Dixie was proud of her Southern roots and became famous for playing a Southerner on Designing Women (1986), when it came to picking husbands, only one of her three husbands was a Southerner, actor George Hearn, and that turned out to be her shortest marriage.

Her publicist is Steve Rohr.

After their divorce, her first husband Arthur Carter married Dr. Linda Carter. Linda's daughter from a prior marriage is actress Ali Marsh, which makes her a stepsister to Dixie's daughters. Ali's husband is actor Frederick Weller, whose cousin is actor Peter Weller.