Character Actor Frank Overton 1967 Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Frank Emmons Overton (March 12, 1918 – April 24, 1967)[1] was an American actor.

Early life

Overton was born in Babylon, New York on March 12, 1918. He attended Columbia University, earning a master's degree in mathematics.[2]

Career

Overton's acting career began on the stage in New York City.[2] His Broadway credits include The Desperate Hours (1954), The Trip to Bountiful (1953), Truckline Cafe (1945) and Jacobowsky and the Colonel (1943).[3]

Overton appeared in numerous television programs during the early 1950s and through the late 1960s. In 1959, he appeared in a classic episode of The Twilight Zone with Gig Young, called "Walking Distance." Other TV work included The Fugitive in 1963. In 1964, he played General Bogan in the film Fail-Safe. He played Sheriff Heck Tate in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird.[1]

Overton appeared in an episode of the 1961 ABC series The Asphalt Jungle. He made two guest appearances on the CBS courtroom drama series Perry Mason in diverse roles. In 1961 he played a priest, Father Paul, in "The Case of the Renegade Refugee," and in 1963 he played Deputy D.A. Nelson Taylor in "The Case of the Bluffing Blast."

Overton played Major Harvey Stovall in the TV series Twelve O'Clock High, and also played a significant role in the movie Wild River, where he appeared as the jilted fiance of Lee Remick. 

His last TV role was that of Elias Sandoval in Star Trek's "This Side of Paradise," which originally aired in March 1967, just one month before his death at age 49.

Death

Overton died after a heart attack in 1967 in Pacific Palisades, California. He was survived by his wife, Phyllis Hill, and a daughter.[4] He is interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, in the Garden of Memory (formerly Section 6), L-44, with his wife, who died in 1993.

Television

The Trip to Bountiful (1953) (TV)

"Walking Distance" (1959) and "Mute" (1963), episodes of The Twilight Zone

"The Fugitive" (TV series) (1963) Season 1, Episode 11 "Nightmare at Northoak"
Twelve O'Clock High (1964–1967) (TV series)
Bonanza (TV series)
"This Side of Paradise" (1967), episode of Star Trek
A Young Lady of Property...with Kim Stanley

Filmography

Boomerang (1947) - Man in Mob Behind Jail (uncredited)
Mystery Street (1950) - Guard (uncredited)
No Way Out (1950) - Intern (uncredited)
The True Story of Jesse James (1957) - Maj. Rufus Cobb
Lonelyhearts (1958) - Mr. Sargeant
Desire Under the Elms (1958) - Simeon Cabot
The Last Mile (1959) - Father O'Connors

Wild River (1960) - Walter Clark

The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960) - Morris Lacey
Posse from Hell (1961) - Burt Hogan
Claudelle Inglish (1961) - Harley Peasley
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) - Sheriff Heck Tate

Fail-Safe (1964) - General Bogan

References

1. Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 143. ISBN 9780786450190. 
2. "Death Takes Two Actors". The Deseret News. Associated Press. April 25, 1967. p. A7. 
3. "("Frank Overton" search results)". Playbill Vault. 
4. "Actor Frank Overton, 49, Dies Suddenly". Lebanon Daily News. Pennsylvania, Lebanon. United Press International. April 25, 1967. p. 2.