Dixie Virginia Carter , ( May 25 , 1939 - April 10 , 2010 ) , was an American film , television and stage actress . Dixie Virginia Carter ( May 25 , 1939 -- April 10 , 2010 ) was an American film , television and stage actress , best-known for her role in the sitcom Designing Women ( 1986 -- 1993 ) .