Dixie Carter was born May 25, 1939, in McLemoreville, TN. Her earliest dreams were of becoming an opera singer. A botched tonsillectomy when she was seven, however, ruined her chances. Still, she studied singing and classical music and learned to play the piano, trumpet, and harmonica. She graduated from Memphis State with an English degree. Ms. Carter retained her southern accent in most her performances, adding a headstrong, subtly sexy tinge to the characters she portrayed.

Dixie Carter made her professional stage debut in a Memphis production of Carousel. Moving to New York in 1963, she won a part in A Winter's Tale. Meaningful success started to come as she approached her mid-30s. She received a Theatre World Award for Jesse and the Bandit Queen in 1976, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her performance in Fathers and Sons Off-Broadway in 1979. Around this same time, she made two brief appearances in Broadway musicals, 1974's Sextet and a 1976 revival of Pal Joey. She was known for championing the work of composer John Wallowitch, who often joined her as accompanist. The two artists met in Greenwich Village in the 1960s, when Ms. Carter had just moved to New York. She also sang as the villainous Mrs. Meers in the Broadway musical Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Source: Playbill.com