Delta Burke had humble beginnings as a beauty queen, hailing from Orlando, Florida. By the time she was 17, she already had 18 pageant titles under her belt.
In 1974, she was crowned Miss Florida. That same year, she competed in the Miss America pageant, where she won a talent scholarship.
Delta Burke at the 5th Annual American Video Awards at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Oakland on February 26, 1987. | Source: Getty Images
She used the scholarship on a two-year program at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. She no longer continued her pageantry career and instead chose to shoot her shot in the entertainment industry. Within a month of coming home, she landed her first TV role.
Burke is remembered by many for her role as Suzanne Sugarbaker in “Designing Women.” The show, which ran for seven seasons, allowed her to receive two Emmy nominations for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.
Years later, through her own production company, Perseverance, Inc., Burke produced the TV series “Delta,” which she starred in as well. She also produced and starred in “Women of the House” in 1995, where she reprised her famous role as Suzanne Sugarbaker.
Nowadays, Burke has shied away from the industry. She has chosen to focus on her business, Delta Burke Design.
Delta Burke and Gerald McRaney at the Hollywood Women’s Press Club’s 47th Annual Golden Apple Awards, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, circa 1987 | Source: Getty Images
“Designing Women” didn’t only bring Burke fame – it also brought her a lasting love through Gerald McRaney. He had a guest appearance on the show in the same timeline as when he was starring in his breakout series “Simon & Simon.”
By their second date, McRaney had already asked for Burke’s hand in marriage. Speaking about why his marriage proposal was so abrupt, McRaney said:
“I wasn’t going to let her get away. I already had competition. There were people asking her out on dates, and I was going to move in right away.”
McRaney proposed to Burke even when his friends told him not to. In fact, they told him never to marry an actress. “Why not?” he asked them.
He then continued to defend Burke to his friends, saying that fellow actors knew the chaos that came with being in the industry—at least Burke did. Every time he was on set and didn’t contact her until 2 in the morning, she didn’t take it against him because she knew it came with the job…CONTINUE READING HERE