Andra Akers

Andra Akers (September 16, 1943 – March 20, 2002) was an American actress born in New York City whose career encompassed film, theater, and television, with Broadway appearances spanning 1970 to 1980. She was known as a character actress frequently cast in tough or brassy roles.

Akers came from a prominent family. Her father, Anthony B. Akers, served as a naval officer in World War II, practiced law, and was appointed United States ambassador to New Zealand during the Kennedy administration. Her mother, Jane Pope, was the daughter of architect John Russell Pope, and Akers herself was a descendant of William Ellery. Her sister, Ellery Akers, is a poet and naturalist based in Northern California.

Her education took her across several institutions. While in New Zealand, she attended Victoria University of Wellington, where she appeared in a 1962 production of Chekhov's The Seagull. She later studied at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York, concentrating in theater and political science. Her film career began with Brian De Palma's Murder a la Mod in 1968, and she went on to make multiple guest appearances in television series throughout the following decades.

On Broadway, Akers appeared in Charley's Aunt, Perfectly Frank, and A Little Night Music during her decade of stage work in the 1970s. In 1986, she retired from acting to establish Synergy International, an interdisciplinary think tank that brought together video and electronic artists, mathematicians, and computer scientists, which she later renamed the Essence Institute. Akers died in Los Angeles on March 20, 2002, following complications from surgery.