Dixie is the middle of three children. Her father owned several small retail stores. Early on, she dreamed of being an opera singer, but a botched tonsillectomy at age 7 spoiled any chances for that dream. Still she sang regularly and studied classical music. She can play the piano, trumpet, and the harmonica. She graduated from Memphis State with an English degree. In 1960, she made her professinal debut in a local production of "Carousel". Three year's later, she moved to New York and landed a role in Joseph Papp's production of Shakespeare's "A Winter's Tale". When she married businessman, Arthur Carter, she left the stage for eight years to raise two daughters, Ginna - now an actress, and Mary Dixie, a screenwriter. At age 35, she returned to acting, but found that no agent wanted to give her a chance. When offered a role in "On Our Own" in L.A., she immediately uprooted her family to move there. A second marriage to Brioadway actor, George Hearn, quickly ended.
Dixie Carter