Charlene Frazier Stillfield
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Charlene Olivia Frazier Stillfield is a character in the television series, Designing Women. She is played by Jean Smart.
[edit] Romantic Office Manager
Sensitive and charming, not to mention more than a little bit naive, Charlene is the epitome of the hopeless romantic. She was born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to a rather huge family, including several sisters, notably Carlene Dobber; and several brothers, notably Odell. Charlene is one of the older sisters, and respects her parents position as the head of the family. She, in fact, adores her parents, Bud and Ione Frazier.
She attended Poplar Bluff High School, Three Rivers Secretarial College, and also worked as a secretary in Little Rock, Arkansas, when she was hired by Hayden McIlroy (who eventually married Julia Sugarbaker) to be his secretary in Atlanta, Georgia. After his death, Julia asked Charlene to come into her new design business.
At Sugarbakers, she is the office manager and does her job rather well. At first, in addition to working at Sugarbakers, she sold cosmetics door to door, and used that money to help buy her shares of the business.
However, her naivete often made her target for some very shady individuals, and more often than not, annoyed her co-workers by being, to quote Julia, "utterly fascinated by absolutely nothing."
She is also a rabid fan of Elvis Presley; and a sucker for romantic movies. One of her favorites is To Kill a Mockingbird. She is also a fan of the romantic songs of World War II.
Her best friend in Atlanta is Mary Jo Shively, whom she met when she first arrived, the two lived next door to one another in her former apartment building. The two are very close, even though Mary Jo too can be annoyed by Charlene's naivete, but in reality, she truly does care for her.
Also living in Atlanta, is her cousin, Mavis Madling, who was a victim of domestic violence. With Charlene's help, she left her unhappy situation. She and her coworkers helped diffuse the long-time feud between her father, Bud and a man last named Sloan, whose daughter, Cissy, later married her brother, Odell.
Her ideal was a home and family, though, yet she worked. She met her future husband, Air Force Colonel Bill Stillfield (Douglas Barr), when the firm was asked to design a wing of the VA Hospital. Their romance bloomed and they were married, despite Charlene's initial trepidation when she met her in-laws in Virginia.
She continued to work at Sugarbakers, even during her pregnancy, eventually giving birth to her daughter, Olivia Frazier Stillfield. Sometimes, Charlene was insecure, since Bill was so often away and was also in the first Gulf war. She had the support of Mary Jo and Julia, who stuck by her through thick and thin.
After Carlene divorced her husband Dwayne Dobber, she moved to Atlanta, and gave Charlene some much needed help in raising her daughter, since Bill was away in England. Charlene and Olivia eventually left Atlanta for good, moving to England to be with Bill.
