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
DiedMarch 16, 2023(2023-03-16) (aged 87)
Years active1956–1992
SpousesAustin Ronald MacDonald
(m.1956–?)
Peter John Elkington
(m.1973–his death, 2001)[2]
Children2[1]

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. 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.[3]

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.[4] In 1976–77 she portrayed Helen Walling in the prime-time drama Executive Suite.[5] 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.[6][7] 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.[8] The couple remained together for 28 years, until Elkington's death in 2001.[9] She had two daughters from her first marriage and two stepdaughters from Elkington's previous marriage.[10]

Acker, at age 87, died in a retirement home in Toronto, Canada in 2023.[1][11]

Filmography

Movies

Television

References
  1. "Sharon Elkington". Legacy.com. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  2. Lucas, Ralph (April 1, 2016). "Sharon Acker - Biography". Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  3. "Well-dressed Moll Styles in Alcatraz". Life. August 25, 1967. pp. 80–81. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  4. Cushman, M. (2014). These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two. Los Angeles: Jacobs/Brown Press.
  5. Terrace, Vincent (1985). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials. VNR AG. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-918432-61-2. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  6. "Austin Ronald MACDONALD", obituary, Toronto Star (Ontario, Canada), March 9 and 10, 2013. Accessed via Legacy.com, September 10, 2023.
  7. "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.
  8. "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.
  9. Goudas, John N. (November 28, 1976). "Sharon Acker". The Tampa Tribune. King Features Syndicate, Inc. p. 177. Retrieved November 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "TV Star Sharon Acker Is a Good Cook, Artist". The News and Observer. North Carolina, Raleigh. United Press International. January 3, 1977. p. 16. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Barnes, Mike (April 1, 2023). "Sharon Acker, actress in 'Point Blank' and 'Perry Mason', Dies at 87". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
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