Born in Orlando, Florida, Delta Burke is the eldest of three. She began modeling and participating in beauty contests at an early age, having won 18 pageant titles by the time she was 17. A former Miss Florida, Burke won a talent scholarship to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and used that as a springboard to a television career. She had feature roles almost immediately, including in the mini-series The Seekers (1979) and The Chisholms (1980), and the sitcom Filthy Rich (1982-3). She also guest-starred on other shows in this period, including one appearance on William Shatner's T.J. Hooker(1984). From 1984-88, she starred in one of HBO's first original series, 1st And Ten as the female owner of a fictional professional football team.

She is best known for her five-year stint as Suzanne Sugarbaker in CBS's Designing Women --- for which she received two Emmy award nominations for Best Actress in a Comedy Series,losing out to Candice Bergen in 1990 and to Kirstie Allie in 1991. Her Suzanne Sugarbaker character was considered the funniest character on the show, and her delivery of the lines Excuse me! Excuse me! became something of a catchphrase.

After leaving Designing Women, Delta produced and starred in the ABC television series Delta where she actually sang and dyed her dark hair blonde. She later reunited with Designing Women creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason to star in and produce Women of the House, a spin-off where she reprised her popular Suzanne Sugarbaker character.

Burke has appeared on Broadway (in Steel Magnolias) and as 'Mrs. Claus' opposite John Goodman in the NBC movie, The Year Without a Santa Claus. Earlier this year, Burke served as one of the judges at the 2007 Miss America Pageant.

Burke has had a constant struggle with her weight throughout her career, but she has embraced the idea of being a "full-sized" role model. She wrote the book "Delta Style: Eve Wasn't A Size 6 And Neither Am I (1998) and also started her own company, Delta Burke Design, featuring "Plus Size" clothing designs.

She currently has a recurring role on Boston Legal as Bella Horowitza, the former flame of William Shatner's character Denny Crane.

Burke is married to actor Gerald McRaney (Major Dad, Deadwood, Jericho) They live in Los Angeles, California.