# 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.

## Biography

Acker was born in Toronto, Ontario. She began her professional acting career with a television appearance in a made-for-television movie of Anne of Green Gables in 1956. She joined the Stratford Theatre cast, and travelled with the troupe to England, where she stayed to seek acting work. She made her film debut there in Lucky Jim (1957). 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.
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. 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.
Her first American film appearance was in the John Boorman cult action film Point Blank (1967) starring Lee Marvin and John Vernon. 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. In 1976–77 she portrayed Helen Walling in the prime-time drama Executive Suite. 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. In 1956, in London, she wed fellow Canadian Austin Ronald MacDonald. 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. The couple remained together for 28 years, until Elkington's death in 2001. She had two daughters from her first marriage and two stepdaughters from Elkington's previous marriage.
Acker died at a retirement home in Toronto, Canada, on March 16, 2023, at the age of 87.

## Filmography
### Films

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

### Television

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