Sharon Acker

Sharon Eileen Acker (April 2, 1935 – March 16, 2023) was a Canadian film, stage, and television actress and model. She appeared mostly on television in Canada and the United States from 1956 to 1992. She played Della Street, Perry Mason's loyal secretary, in The New Perry Mason opposite Monte Markham. Her film roles include Lucky Jim, Point Blank and Don't Let the Angels Fall.

Sharon Acker
Born	Sharon Eileen Acker[1] (1935-04-02)April 2, 1935 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died	March 16, 2023(2023-03-16) (aged 87) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Years active	1956–1992
Spouses	Austin Ronald MacDonald (m. 1956; div. 19??) Peter John Elkington ​ ​ (m. 1973; died 2001)​
Children	2

Biography

Acker was born in Toronto, Ontario.^[2] She began her professional acting career with a television appearance in a made-for-television movie of Anne of Green Gables in 1956.^[3] She joined the Stratford Theatre cast, and travelled with the troupe to England, where she stayed to seek acting work.^[3] She made her film debut there in Lucky Jim (1957).^[2][4] Turning down a long-term contract with the producers of Lucky Jim, Acker returned to Canada in 1957 with her husband to raise a family.^[5]

Acker returned to acting in Canadian television productions. She appeared in a 1961 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) production of Macbeth with Sean Connery, directed by Paul Almond.^[6] During the 1960s, she also modeled, appearing in print advertisements. She and Angie Dickinson were featured modeling "moll style" clothing in the August 25, 1967, issue of Life.^[7]

Her first American film appearance was in the John Boorman cult action film Point Blank (1967) starring Lee Marvin and John Vernon.^[8][9] From that point, Acker appeared in film and television roles in Canada and the United States. In 1969 she guest-starred in the Star Trek episode "The Mark of Gideon" as Odona, a young woman who chooses to sacrifice herself by introducing disease to her overpopulated planet.^[10] In 1976–77 she portrayed Helen Walling in the prime-time drama Executive Suite.^[11] During this period, Acker also made a guest appearance on episode five of the second season of The Love Boat, which initially aired on October 20, 1978. She appeared too in two episodes of The Rockford Files in 1978 and 1979. She made her last feature film appearance in 1981 and her last television appearance in 1992.

Personal life and death

Acker married twice.^[12] In 1956, in London, she wed fellow Canadian Austin Ronald MacDonald.^[13][14] They later divorced, although the year of their separation is unverified. Acker then married Peter John Elkington, a filmmaker, in 1973 in Los Angeles, California.^[15] The couple remained together for 28 years, until Elkington's death in 2001.^[16] She had two daughters from her first marriage and two stepdaughters from Elkington's previous marriage.^[17]

Acker died at a retirement home in Toronto, Canada, on March 16, 2023, at the age of 87.^[1][18]

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1957	Lucky Jim	Christine Callaghan
1967	Point Blank	Lynne Walker
1969	Waiting for Caroline	Emily
1969	The First Time	Pamela Williams
1969	Don't Let the Angels Fall	Barbara
1970	The Act of the Heart	Adele
1981	Happy Birthday to Me	Estelle Wainwright
1981	Threshold	Tilla Vrain

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1956	Anne of Green Gables	Mrs. Stacey	TV movie
1960	The Unforeseen	Ellen Thomas	1 episode
1961	Macbeth	Lady Macduff	TV movie
1966	Wojeck	Tony Marlowe	2 episodes
1968	The Wild Wild West	Lavinia Sedgewick	1 episode: "The Night of the Sedgewick Curse"
1968–1969	It Takes a Thief	Dr. Edwina Hopkins	3 episodes
1969	Star Trek	Odona	1 episode: S3:E16, "The Mark of Gideon"
1969	Lancer	Tiffany Mumford
1970	A Clear and Present Danger	Erin Stowe	TV movie
1970–1971	The Bold Ones: The Senator	Ellen Stowe
1970–1972	Mission: Impossible	Annette, Connie Hastings	2 episodes
1971	Alias Smith and Jones	Rachel Carlson
1971	Cannon	Glinda Donaldson
1971	Gunsmoke	Tereese Farrell
1971	The F.B.I.	Kate Waller
1971	Cade's County	Roseann Claybourne
1971	Love, American Style	Gloria	1 episode
1971–1973	Marcus Welby, M.D.	Nancy Mason, Margaret Loring	2 episodes
1972	The Mod Squad	Agnes Carter	1 episode
1972	McMillan & Wife	Evie Kendall
1972	Hec Ramsey	Nora Muldoon	2 episodes
1973	The Stranger	Dr. Bettina Cooke	TV movie
1973	The Delphi Bureau	Sheila
1973–1974	The New Perry Mason	Della Street
1973–1975	Barnaby Jones	Laura Vaner, Florence Armstrong, Gail Bloom
1974	The Hanged Man	Carrie Gault
1974	Harry O	Andrea Tannehill
1971–1975	Cannon	Laura Venner, Jill, Mrs. Dude	3 episodes
1975–1977	The Streets of San Francisco	Ethel Finn, Eleanor Jessup	2 episodes
1976	Our Man Flint: Dead on Target	Sandra Carter	TV movie
1976	Executive Suite	Helen Walling
1977	The Hostage Heart	Martha Lake	TV movie
1978	The Love Boat	Evelyn
1978–1979	The Rockford Files	Edie Nevitt, Adrianna Danielli
1978–1981	Quincy, M.E.	Barbara, Lynne Montgomery, Allison Sirella/Mary Latham	3 episodes
1979	Matt and Jenny	Samantha Shelborne
1980	Stone	Karen Halloran	1 episode
1980	Galactica 1980	Anne	1 episode
1980	Battles: The Murder That Wouldn't Die	Jill Spencer	TV movie
1980	The Incredible Hulk	Dr. Louise Olson	1 episode
1981	Flamingo Road	Arlene Hunter	1 episode
1981	Shannon	Marion Hammond	1 episode
1981–1985	Simon & Simon	Helena Christian, Sandra Jefferson-Delaporte	2 episodes
1982	Off Your Rocker	Nurse Gloria	TV movie
1982	Texas	Judith Wheeler	62 episodes
1983	The Powers of Matthew Star	Evita	1 episode
1983	Matt Houston	Deena	1 episode
1983	Trapper John, M.D.	Senator Miriam Taylor
1984	Whiz Kids	Miriam
1985	Crazy Like a Fox		1 episode
1985	Knight Rider	Sanford
1986	You Again?	Loretta Winslow
1986	Murder, She Wrote	Wilhelmina Fraser	1 episode: "Keep the Home Fries Burning"
1987	Days of Our Lives	Pamela Fouchier
1988	Katts and Dog	Alice	3 episodes
1989	Street Legal	Jane Morrison
1991–1992	The Young and the Restless	Dr. Grace Sundell	4 episodes