Delta Burke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Delta Burke
Burke at the 1990 Emmy Awards
Born	(1956-07-30) July 30, 1956 (age 68) Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Education	Colonial High School
Alma mater	London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actress producer author
Years active	1974–present
Known for	Designing Women Delta Filthy Rich
Spouse(s)	Gerald McRaney ​ (m. 1989)​

Delta Burke McRaney (born July 30, 1956) is an American actress, producer, and author. She is famous for her role as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the TV show Designing Women. This popular CBS sitcom aired from 1986 to 1991. For her work on the show, she was nominated for two Emmy Awards. These awards recognize excellent performances in television.

Delta Burke has also appeared in many other TV shows. These include Filthy Rich (1982–83) and Delta (1992–93). She was also in Women of the House (1995) and DAG (2000–01). She has produced and starred in TV movies. She also acted in the film What Women Want (2000). Later, she had a repeating role in the drama series Boston Legal (2006–07). Delta Burke has also performed on Broadway. She was in the musicals Thoroughly Modern Millie (2003) and Steel Magnolias (2005).

Early Life and Miss Florida

Delta Burke was born on July 30, 1956, in Orlando, Florida. Her mother, Jean, later married Frederick Burke. He was an Orlando realtor and adopted Delta. She has a younger brother, Jonathan, and a younger sister, Jennifer.

Delta Burke finished high school at Colonial High School in 1974. Her classmates voted her "Most Likely to Succeed." In 1972, she won the Miss Flame crown from the Orlando Fire Department. She then became State Miss Flame. In her last year of high school, she won the Miss Florida title for 1974. She was the youngest person to win Miss Florida in the pageant's history. Delta won a special talent scholarship from the Miss America Organization. This allowed her to study for two years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Career Highlights

Starting Out in Acting

In 1974, after winning Miss Florida, Delta Burke appeared on the ABC-TV show Bozo the Clown. This show was filmed in Orlando, Florida. She also appeared as Miss Florida at the World Football League's World Bowl that same year.

In 1980, Burke played Bonnie Sue Chisholm in the CBS western miniseries, The Chisholms. She then spent a year on Filthy Rich in 1982. She played Kathleen Beck, a clever young widow. After that, she played Diane Barrow, a female football team owner, on 1st & Ten from 1984 to 1986.

Starring in Designing Women

In 1986, Delta Burke was chosen to play Suzanne Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women. She left 1st and Ten to join this new show. Designing Women was created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason. Linda had worked with Delta before on Filthy Rich. The show was about four women who ran an interior design company in Atlanta. Delta was one of the four main female stars.

The show did not do well in the ratings at first. It was even briefly canceled after its first year. But in 1989, it became very popular. Delta Burke became a breakout star on the show. She received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. These nominations were in 1990 and 1991. She was the only main female cast member to be nominated for this award.

In 1990, Delta Burke spoke publicly about her unhappiness with the show. She appeared on a TV interview with Barbara Walters. She said that actors often had to work very long hours. She also mentioned disagreements with some of her co-stars and the show's creators. At the end of the fifth season of Designing Women in 1991, Delta Burke left the show.

After Designing Women

Delta Burke got her own TV show called Delta in 1992. In this show, she played a woman who wanted to be a country music singer. The show was canceled after one season. In 1995, she worked again with Linda Bloodworth Thomason. Delta returned as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the Designing Women spin-off show, Women of the House (1995). But this show also ended quickly.

It took more than ten years for Delta Burke and her former co-star, Dixie Carter, to become friends again. They did so when Delta guest-starred on an episode of Family Law. Dixie Carter was a regular actress on that show.

Later Acting Roles

Delta Burke has been a main actress in several TV movies. She also had a supporting role in the Mel Gibson film What Women Want (2000).

In the early 2000s, she starred with David Alan Grier in the sitcom DAG. She had lost a lot of weight for this role.

Delta Burke made her first appearance on Broadway in September 2003. She played Mrs. Meers in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. She played this role until February 2004. Later, her Designing Women co-star Dixie Carter took over the role. Delta then played Truvy in the original Broadway production of Steel Magnolias. She was in the show for its entire four-month run in 2005.

She also played Bella Horowitz in five episodes of Boston Legal. Her character was a former love interest of William Shatner's character, Denny Crane. In 2008, Burke appeared in a Hallmark Channel film called Bridal Fever. In 2012, she was cast in a TV comedy pilot called Counter Culture. However, production was stopped after she had an accident on set.

Personal Life

Delta Burke has been married to actor Gerald McRaney since May 28, 1989. They do not have children together. However, Gerald McRaney has adult children from his earlier marriages. Delta and Gerald mostly live in Los Angeles, California. They also own homes in Telluride, Colorado, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Delta Burke has been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes.

She supports gay rights. She has worked with openly gay writer Del Shores on projects like Sordid Lives. In 2006, Delta Burke and actor Leslie Jordan were uninvited from a TV show. This happened because the show's director thought their topic might upset some viewers. Delta became a supporter of gay people and gay rights after attending acting school in London. Her sister, Jennifer, is also a lesbian.

Delta Burke is also a designer. She manages her own clothing company called Delta Burke Design. Its main office is in New York City. Delta and Gerald McRaney also own an antiques store in Collins, Mississippi.

Delta Burke has compulsive hoarding syndrome. This means she likes to collect and save many things. She has received therapy for it. She once said, "At one time I had 27 storage units. I don't have a big enough house!"

Filmography

Nonfiction

• Delta Style: Eve Wasn't a Size 6 and Neither Am I (1998, St. Martin's Press; ISBN: 0-312-15454-2)

See also

In Spanish: Delta Burke para niños