Designing Women
Advertisements:
$3 Million
"I'll do humor about myself, I'll poke fun and everything, but that's me and I can do it to me. I think it's cruel to do it to somebody else." Delta Burke is an American actress, writer, and producer. Burke came into her own as one of the finest working performers in the industry as the star of the CBS series, Designing Women. Burke would win a pair of Emmy Awards for her efforts.
While Burke may be most closely tied to her work on Designing Women, Burke has had a career that has spanned more than 60 productions on screen as well as a handful of performances on Broadway. Burke is a prolific performer, an acclaimed artist, and an award-winning actress. Most impressive of all? Burke came from relatively rough upbringings in order to turn her entire life around, all via her own will-power.
Early Life in Florida
Delta Ramona Leah Burke was born on July 30, 1956, in Orlando, FL. Burke was born to a single mother, Jean. Her adoptive father was Frederick Burke, a realtor in Orlando. Burke had two younger siblings growing up, a brother named Jonathan and a sister named Jennifer. Delta has never met her biological father.
In the early going, Burke would attend Colonial High School. During her time in school, Burke would be named Most Likely to Succeed by her peers. In 1972, Burke would prove their words right by winning the crown of Miss Flame from the Orlando Fire Department. Burke would then win recognition as State Miss Flame. Burke would top off her modeling career by winning the Miss Florida title in 1974, the same year that she graduated from Colonial High School. Burke was the youngest to ever win the Miss Florida pageant.
Burke's modeling career would afford her a scholarship from the famous Miss America Organization. Burke would use that scholarship in order to study abroad for two years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. After spending her two years in London, Burke would return home and immediately begin acting professionally.
Decorated Television Performer
When Burke came back from overseas, she was ready to begin working as an actress. Burke would land her first role on the ABC show, Bozo the Clown (1974). Burke was given a part in the program as a result of her winning the Miss Florida pageant. Burke would work alongside Herbert L. Becker for six months as his magician's assistant.
After finding her way into the industry, Burke would not come close to slowing down. Burke would appear in several productions during the early portion of her career. Burke would appear in the made-for-TV movie Charleston (1979), A Last Cry for Help (1979), and Zuma Beach (1978). After ingratiating herself with the silver screen, Burke would pivot to television where she would settle in to become one of the more decorated performers on the small screen.
Burke would land her first major role on the TV series The Chisholms in 1980. The series did not get picked up, though Burke appeared in nine episodes. Burke would then land a role on Filthy Rich (1982) as Kathleen Beck for fifteen episodes. Her most notable early work is, of course, Designing Women (1986). Burke would land the lead role on the program before appearing in 118 episodes across five years. Thanks to her comedic timing, Burke would land critical and commercial acclaim. Burke would win a pair of Emmy Awards while working on Designing Women. Despite how successful the show was, Burke was not publicly happy with the work that she was putting in versus her compensation with the studio. Burke pointed out that she was working north of 15 hours per day. Burke would end up being let go after the fifth season of the show due in large part to contentious contract negotiations as well as a bitter working environment.
While Burke enjoyed being the star of the show, she would have trouble getting back to that level of acclaim. After being let go from Designing Women, Burke would land her next major role in the 1992 television series, Delta (1992). Delta would play Delta Bishop, an aspiring singer in the country music scene. Unfortunately, ratings weren't great and the show would end up being canceled. In 1995, Burke would reunite with Linda Thomason as the two worked on Women of the House (1995). Unfortunately, Women of the House would also end early due to poor ratings.
Burke has spent a significant amount of time on television. While her early years were more high-profile than her recent years, Burke stayed an active member of the industry until 2019's Dolly Parton's Heartstrings. Before getting there, however, Burke had notable roles in projects like Hansel & Gretel (2002), Touched by an Angel (1996), and Boston Legal (2006). Burke has since tapered her workload, only periodically appearing in programs that meet her interest. While Burke isn't always on television, she is always making her voice heard. Burke is a prominent supporter of gay rights, she the manager of her own clothing company, Delta Burke Design, and Burke even co-owns an antique store with her husband in Mississippi.
In her romantic life, Delta Burke has been married to Gerald McRaney since May 28, 1989. McRaney is an actor himself with appearances in projects like This Is Us, Promised Land, Jericho, and Deadwood. Burke and McRaney do not have any children together.
->
