Beginning her career in 1970, Carter started singing in the theater and later crossed over to television. Carter was perhaps best known for her role as Nell Harper on the NBC sitcom "Gimme a Break!" which originally aired from 1981 to 1987. Carter received two Emmy and two Golden Globe award nominations for her work on the series. Prior to "Gimme a Break!", Carter won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical in 1978 for her performance in the Broadway musical "Ain't Misbehavin'", as well as a Primetime Emmy Award for her reprisal of the role on television in 1982.