Frank Emmons Overton (March 12, 1918April 24, 1967) was an American actor. He was best known for the roles of Maj. Harvey Stovall in ''

Twelve O'Clock High ''Twelve O'Clock High'' is a 1949 American war film about aircrews in the United States Army's Eighth Air Force, who flew daylight bombing missions against Germany and Occupied France during the early days of American involvement in World War I ...

'' (1964-1967), Sheriff Heck Tate in ''

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become a ...

'' (1962) and General Bogan in ''

Fail Safe In engineering, a fail-safe is a design feature or practice that in the event of a specific type of failure, inherently responds in a way that will cause minimal or no harm to other equipment, to the environment or to people. Unlike inherent safe ...

'' (1964).

Early life

Overton was born in Babylon, New York on March 12, 1918.

Career

Overton's acting career began on the stage in New York City. His

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

credits include ''The Desperate Hours'' (1954), ''The Trip to Bountiful'' (1953), ''Truckline Cafe'' (1945) and ''Jacobowsky and the Colonel'' (1943). Peter Gunn TV series 5/30/1960 , season 2 episode 35 " Letter of the Law". Played district attorney Henry Lockwood. Overton appeared in numerous

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising ...

s during the early 1950s and through the late 1960s. In 1959, he appeared in an episode of ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, ...

'' with Gig Young, called " Walking Distance". Overton also appeared in the episode titled " Mute" as Sheriff Harry Wheeler with Ann Jillian. Other TV work included '' The Fugitive'' in 1963. He played Sheriff Heck Tate in the 1962 film ''

''. In 1964, he played General Bogan in the film ''

''. Overton appeared in an episode of the 1961 ABC series ''

The Asphalt Jungle ''The Asphalt Jungle'' is a 1950 American film noir heist film directed by John Huston. Based on the 1949 novel of the same name by W. R. Burnett, it tells the story of a jewel robbery in a Midwestern city. The film stars Sterling Hayden and ...

''. 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 ''

''. Overton also played a significant role in the movie ''

Wild River A wild river (United States, Australia, & New Zealand) or heritage river (Canada) is a :river or a river system designated by a government to be protected and kept "relatively untouched by development and are therefore in near natural conditi ...

'', where he appeared as the jilted fiancé of

Lee Remick Lee Ann Remick (December 14, 1935 – July 2, 1991) was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film '' Days of Wine and Roses'' (1962), and for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actress in ...

. One of his last TV roles was that of Elias Sandoval in ''

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 ...

's'' "

This Side of Paradise ''This Side of Paradise'' is the debut novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1920. It examines the lives and morality of carefree American youth at the dawn of the Jazz Age. Its protagonist, Amory Blaine, is an attractive ...

", which originally aired in March 1967, just one month before his death at age 49.

Personal life

In 1962, Overton married actress Phyllis Hill in Los Angeles.

Death

Overton died after a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...

in 1967 in

Pacific Palisades, California Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood in the Westside region of Los Angeles, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. Pacific Palisades was formally founded in 1921 by a Methodist organization, and in the years that followed bec ...

. He was survived by his wife, Phyllis Hill, and a daughter. He is interred at

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angele ...

, in the Garden of Memory (formerly Section 6), L-44, with his wife, who died in 1993.

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Overton, Frank 1918 births 1967 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Male actors from New York (state) People from Babylon, New York