Sharon Acker (born April 2, 1935) is a Canadian film, stage, and television actress and model. Acker appeared mostly on television in Canada and the United States from 1956 to 1992. She played

Della Street Della Street is the fictional secretary of Perry Mason in the long-running series of novels, short stories, films, and radio and television programs featuring the fictional defense attorney created by Erle Stanley Gardner. In 1950, Gardner pu ...

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

's loyal secretary, in ''

The New Perry Mason ''The New Perry Mason'' is a CBS TV series that ran from 1973 to 1974. It was a revival of the 1957 '' Perry Mason'' television series about Erle Stanley Gardner's brilliant defense attorney. Plot All of the major characters of the original se ...

''. Her film roles include ''

Lucky Jim ''Lucky Jim'' is a novel by Kingsley Amis, first published in 1954 by Victor Gollancz. It was Amis's first novel and won the 1955 Somerset Maugham Award for fiction. The novel follows the exploits of the eponymous James (Jim) Dixon, a relucta ...

'', ''

Point Blank Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm can hit a target without the need to compensate for bullet drop, and can be adjusted over a wide range of distances by sighting in the firearm. If the bullet leaves the barrel par ...

'' and '' Don't Let the Angels Fall''.

Biography

Acker was born in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, adopted by Aileen and Ken Matthews of Toronto Canada. She began her professional acting career with a television appearance in a made-for-television movie of ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

''. 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 ''

'' (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 The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governme ...

(CBC) production of ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' with

Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...

, directed by

Paul Almond Paul Almond (April 26, 1931 – April 9, 2015) was a Canadian television and motion picture screenwriter, director, producer, and novelist. He is most known for being the director of the first film in the '' Up'' series. Life and career Paul A ...

. During the 1960s, she also modeled, appearing in print advertisements. She and

Angie Dickinson Angeline Dickinson (née Brown; born September 30, 1931) is an American actress. She began her career on television, appearing in many anthology series during the 1950s, before gaining her breakthrough role in '' Gun the Man Down'' (1956) wi ...

were featured modeling "moll style" clothing in the August 25, 1967, issue of ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

''. Her first American film appearance was in the

John Boorman Sir John Boorman (; born 18 January 1933) is a British film director, best known for feature films such as ''Point Blank (1967 film), Point Blank'' (1967), ''Hell in the Pacific'' (1968), ''Deliverance'' (1972), ''Zardoz'' (1974), ''Exorcist I ...

cult action film ''

'' (1967) starring

Lee Marvin Lee Marvin (born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.; February 19, 1924August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Alth ...

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 "The Mark of Gideon" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by George F. Slavin and Stanley Adams and directed by Jud Taylor, it was first broadcast on January 17, ...

" 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''. She appeared in two roles in two episodes of ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigat ...

'' in 1978 and 1979. She made her last feature film appearance in 1981 and her last television appearance in 1992. Acker married Peter Elkington, a filmmaker. She has two daughters from a previous marriage, and two daughters from Peter's previous marriage.

Filmography

Movies

*''

'' (1957) ... Christine Callaghan *''

'' (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 Threshold may refer to: Architecture * Threshold (door), the sill of a door Media * ''Threshold'' (1981 film) * ''Threshold'' (TV series), an American science fiction drama series produced during 2005-2006 * "Threshold" (''Stargate SG-1''), ...

'' (1981) ... Tilla Vrain

Television

*''

'' (1956) ... Mrs. Stacey *''

The Unforeseen ''The Unforeseen'' was a Canadian drama television series which aired on CBC Television from 1958 to 1960. Premise This anthology series featured stories of suspense or plots with surprise endings. Donald Jack and executive producer Peter Franci ...

'' (1960) *''

'' (1961) ... Lady Macduff *''

Wojeck ''Wojeck'' is a Canadian dramatic television series, which aired on CBC Television from 1966 to 1968. It was arguably the first successful drama series on English Canadian television. Plot Steve Wojeck is a crusading big city coroner who regul ...

'' (1966) (2 episodes) ... Tony Marlowe *''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels ...

'' "The Night of the Sedgewick Curse" (1968) ... Lavinia Sedgewick *''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vario ...

'' ("

") (1969)...Odona *'' It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1969) (three episodes) ... Dr. Edwina Hopkins *''

Lancer A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by Persia, India, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the ...

'' (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 ''Alias Smith and Jones'' is an American Western series that originally aired on ABC from January 1971 to January 1973. The show initially starred Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes and Ben Murphy as Jedediah "Kid" Curry, outlaw cousins who are tr ...

'' (1971) ... Rachel Carlson *''

Cannon (TV series) ''Cannon'' is an American detective television series produced by Quinn Martin that aired from 1971 to 1976 on CBS. William Conrad played the title character, private detective Frank Cannon. The series was the first Quinn Martin production to ...

(1971)'' ... Glinda Donaldson *''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'' (1971) ... Tereese Farrell *'' The F.B.I.'' (1971) *''

Cade's County ''Cade's County'' is a modern-day Western/crime drama which aired Sundays at 9:30 pm (EST) on CBS during the 1971–1972 television season. There were 24 episodes. Synopsis ''Cade's County'' starred well-known Hollywood actor Glenn Ford as S ...

'' (1971) ... Roseann Claybourne *''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a part of ABC's Friday primetime lineup ...

'' (1971) *'' Mission: Impossible'' (1972) ... Annette (1970) ... Connie Hastings *''

The Mod Squad ''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III ...

'' (1972) *''

McMillan & Wife ''McMillan & Wife'' (known simply as ''McMillan'' from 1976–77) is an American police procedural television series that aired on NBC from September 17, 1971, to April 24, 1977. Starring Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James in the title roles, the ...

'' (1972) ... Evie Kendall *''

Hec Ramsey ''Hec Ramsey'' is an American television series that aired on NBC from 1972 to 1974, starring Richard Boone. The series was created by Jack Webb's production company, Mark VII Limited in association with Universal's television productions. The ...

'' (1972) ... Nora Muldoon *'' The Delphi Bureau'' (1973) ... Sheila *''

'' (1973–1974) ...

*'' Marcus Welby, M.D.'' (1973) *'' The Stranger'' (1973) ... Dr. Bettina Cooke *'' The Hanged Man'' (1974) ... Carrie Gault *''

Harry O ''Harry O'', sometimes spelled ''Harry-O'', is an American private detective series that aired for two seasons on ABC from 1974 to 1976. The series starred David Janssen, and Jerry Thorpe was executive producer. ''Harry O'' followed the broadcas ...

'' (1974) ... Andrea Tannehill *''

Cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder duri ...

'' (1975) ... Laura Venner (1974) ... Jill (1971) ... Mrs. Dude *''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law, who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show was or ...

'' (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 ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ...

'' (1977) ... Ethel Finn (1975) ... Eleanor Jessup *''

The Hostage Heart ''The Hostage Heart'' is a 1977 American made-for-television drama film directed by Bernard McEveety, written by Andrew J. Fenady, and based on Gerald Green's novel. It premiered on Friday, September 9, 1977, on CBS. Plot Terrorists take over th ...

'' (1977) ... Martha Lake *''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pa ...

'' (1978) ... Evelyn *'' Matt and Jenny'' (1979) ... Samantha Shelborne *''

'' (1978) Edie Nevitt ... (1979) Adrianna Danielli *''

Conquest of the Earth ''Galactica 1980'' is an American science fiction television series and a spin-off from the original '' Battlestar Galactica'' television series. It was first broadcast on ABC in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980, lasting for 10 ...

'' (1980) *''

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

'' (1980) *''

Galactica 1980 ''Galactica 1980'' is an American science fiction television series and a spin-off from the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series. It was first broadcast on ABC in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980, lasting for 10 e ...

'' (1980) ... Anne *''Battles: The Murder That Wouldn't Die'' (1980 TV movie) ... Jill Spencer *''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...

'' (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 Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

'' (1982) ... Judith Wheeler *''

The Powers of Matthew Star ''The Powers of Matthew Star'' is an American Science fiction, sci-fi television series that aired on NBC on Friday evenings from September 17, 1982 until April 8, 1983. It starred Peter Barton (actor), Peter Barton as the title character, the a ...

'' (1983) ... Evita *''

Matt Houston ''Matt Houston'' was an American crime drama television series starring Lee Horsley as the title character, a wealthy oilman who decides to hold a side job as a private investigator. Created by Lawrence Gordon and produced by Aaron Spelling, ...

'' (1983) *'' Trapper John, M.D.'' (1983) ... Senator Miriam Taylor *'' Whiz Kids'' (1984) *''

Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who oper ...

'' (1985) ... Sandra Jefferson-Delaporte (1981) ... Helena Christian *'' Crazy Like a Fox'' (1985) *''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original '' Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series '' Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

'' (1985) ... Sanford *'' You Again?'' (1986) ... Loretta Winslow *''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The ser ...

'' (1986) episode "Keep the Home Fries Burning" ... Wilhelmina Fraser *''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. The soap, which aired on ...

'' (1987) ... Pamela Fouchier *''

Katts and Dog ''Katts and Dog'' is a French and Canadian-produced television series that ran from 1988 to 1993. It was known as ''Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop'' in the United States where it originally aired on CBN Cable/The Family Channel and ''Rintintin Junior'' in ...

'' (1988) (3 episodes) ... Alice *'' Street Legal'' (1989) ... Jane Morrison *''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City ...

'' (1991–1992) ... Dr. Grace Sundell

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Acker, Sharon 1935 births Living people Actresses from Toronto Canadian film actresses Canadian television actresses 20th-century Canadian actresses