Sharon Acker
Canadian actress and model (1935–2023)
title: "Sharon Acker" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1935-births", "2023-deaths", "actresses-from-toronto", "canadian-film-actresses", "canadian-television-actresses", "20th-century-canadian-actresses"] description: "Canadian actress and model (1935–2023)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Acker" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Canadian actress and model (1935–2023) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Sharon Acker |
| image | Executive-suite-sharon-acker_resize.jpeg |
| birth_name | Sharon Eileen Acker |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| yearsactive | 1956–1992 |
| spouses | Austin Ronald MacDonald |
| (m. 1956; div. 19??) |
| | children | 2 | ::
| name = Sharon Acker | image = Executive-suite-sharon-acker_resize.jpeg | imagesize = | caption = | birth_name = Sharon Eileen Acker | birth_date = | birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | death_date = | death_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | yearsactive = 1956–1992 | spouses = Austin Ronald MacDonald (m. 1956; div. 19??)
| children = 2
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 traveled 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, including The Wild Wild West (The Night of the Sedgewick Curse, 1968). One year later, 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 also appeared 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
::data[format=table]
| 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
::data[format=table]
| 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 |
| :: |
References
References
- Barnes, Mike. (2023-04-01). "Sharon Acker, Actress in 'Point Blank' and 'Perry Mason,' Dies at 87".
- (2023-04-24). "Sharon Acker, actress who appeared in Star Trek and played Lee Marvin's wife in Point Blank – obituary". The Telegraph.
- "BFI Screenonline: Lucky Jim (1957)".
- Murphy, J. Kim. (2023-04-01). "Sharon Acker, 'Point Blank' and 'Happy Birthday to Me' Actor, Dies at 87".
- "The Great Canadian Guide to the Movies & TV:M-Man".
- (August 25, 1967). "Well-dressed Moll Styles in Alcatraz".
- (2021-01-17). "‘Point Blank’: John Boorman’s Amalgamation of American, British and French Filmmaking Styles • Cinephilia & Beyond".
- Johnston, Ian. (2013-03-27). "Point Blank - film review".
- (January 18, 1972). "TV Program Notes". The Minneapolis Star.
- Cushman, M. (2014). ''[[These Are the Voyages (book series). These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two]]''. Los Angeles: Jacobs/Brown Press.
- (1985). "Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials". VNR AG.
- (August 27, 1978). "Your Dream Home May Be the One You're Living in Now". Star Tribune.
- (October 21, 1972). "'Love Boat' Series Stars Write Program". Kenosha News.
- Lucas, Ralph. (April 1, 2016). "Sharon Acker - Biography".
- [https://legcy.co/3kBjgo6 "Austin Ronald MACDONALD"], obituary, ''Toronto Star'' (Ontario, Canada), March 9 and 10, 2013. Accessed via [[Legacy.com]], September 10, 2023.
- "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005" database, Sharon E. Acker and Austin R. MacDonald, 1956, quarter 4, vol. 5C, p. 413, Chelsea, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. Record accessed via archives of [[FamilySearch]], Salt Lake City, Utah, September 10, 2023.
- "California Marriage Index, 1960-1985," online database, Peter J. Elkington and Sharon E. Acker, Los Angeles City, California, August 23, 1973; Center of Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento. Record accessed via FamilySearch, September 10, 2023.
- (November 28, 1976). "Sharon Acker". The Tampa Tribune.
- (January 3, 1977). "TV Star Sharon Acker Is a Good Cook, Artist". The News and Observer.
- "Sharon Elkington". Legacy.com.
- Barnes, Mike. (April 1, 2023). "Sharon Acker, actress in 'Point Blank' and 'Perry Mason', Dies at 87".
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