# Frank Overton

Frank Emmons Overton (March 12, 1918 – April 24, 1967) was an American actor. He was best known for the roles of Major Harvey Stovall in Twelve O'Clock High (1964-1967), Sheriff Heck Tate in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), and General Bogan in Fail 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 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 programs during the early 1950s and through the late 1960s. In 1959, he appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone with Gig Young, called "Walking Distance". Overton also appeared in the episode titled "Mute" as Sheriff Harry Wheeler with Ann Jillian. He played the father of Joe's terminally ill fiancee (Brooke Hayward) in Bonanza Season 3 Episode 19 "The Storm" which aired on 1/27/1962. Other TV work included The Fugitive in 1963.
He played Sheriff Heck Tate in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird. In 1964, he played General Bogan in the film Fail Safe.
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.
Overton also played a significant role in the movie Wild River, where he appeared as the jilted fiancé of Lee Remick.
One of his last TV roles 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.

## Personal life and death

In 1962, Overton married actress Phyllis Hill in Los Angeles.
Overton died after a heart attack in 1967 in Pacific Palisades, California. He was survived by his wife, Phyllis Hill, and a daughter.

## Filmography

Film :
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
| 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 | Major 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 | |
| Television ||||
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
| Studio One | 1951-1957 | (1) John Emroy (2) Samuel Stone (3) Ben Raisman (4) Alan Wall (5) Mr. McGinnis (8) Dr. Manning | (1) Season 4 Episode 9: "A Bolt of Lightning" (1951) (2) Season 4 Episode 37: "Abraham Lincoln" (1952) (3) Season 5 Episode 4: "Little Man, Big World" (1952) (4) Season 5 Episode 8: "Plan for Escape" (1952) (5) Season 6 Episode 17: "The Remarkable Incident at Carson Corners" (1954) (6) Season 7 Episode 5: "The Boy Who Changed the World" (1954) (7) Season 9 Episode 8: "Portrait of a Citizen" (1956) (8) Season 10 Episode 6: "Act of Mercy" (1957) |
| Lux Video Theatre | 1952 | Prefect | Season 3 Episode 17: "A Child is Born" |
| The Trip to Bountiful | 1953 | Sheriff | TV movie |
| The Philco Television Playhouse | 1953-1955 | (1) Sheriff (2) Mr. Davis (4) Harris Rhodes (5) Pat Garrett | (1) Season 5 Episode 16: "The Trip to Bountiful" (1953) (2) Season 6 Episode 12: "The Dancers" (1954) (3) Season 7 Episode 9: "Walk into the Night" (1955) (4) Season 7 Episode 11: "A Sense of Justice" (1955) (5) Season 7 Episode 23: "The Death of Billy the Kid" (1955) |
| Armstrong Circle Theatre | 1954-1959 | (1) Frank (2) Major Collins (3) Mr. Arnquist (4) Sam Starr (5) Dr. Bergman | (1) Season 5 Episode 4: "Explosion" (1954) (2) Season 5 Episode 34: "Crisis" (1954) (3) Season 6 Episode 14: "A Baby Named X" (1956) (4) Season 7 Episode 7: "Divorcees Anonymous" (1957) (5) Season 9 Episode 15: "Prescription-Hypnosis" (1959) |
| The United States Steel Hour | 1954-1963 | (1) (2) Al Durfee (3) Steve (4) Mr. Thornton (5) Matt Preston (6) George Crozier | (1) Season 1 Episode 18: "Fearful Decision" (1954) (2) Season 2 Episode 18: "Fearful Decision" (Repeat episode from first season) (1955) (3) Season 3 Episode 22: "Noon on Doomsday" (1956) (4) Season 4 Episode 10: "To Die Alone" (1957) (5) Season 5 Episode 2: "Haunted Harbor" (1957) (6) Season 10 Episode 15: "The Secrets of Stella Crozier" (1963) |
| The Alcoa Hour | 1956 | (1) Barton Steinbach (2) Tyler | (1) Season 1 Episode 14: "Even the Weariest River" (2) Season 2 Episode 26: "No License to Kill: Part II" |
| Decoy | 1957 | Bergen | Season 1 Episode 4: "To Trap a Thief" |
| The Twilight Zone | 1959-1963 | (1) Robert Sloan (2) Harry Wheeler | (1) Season 1 Episode 5: "Walking Distance" (1959) (2) Season 4 Episode 5: "Mute" (1963) |
| Thriller | 1960 | Bart Hattering | Season 1 Episode 2: "Child's Play" |
| Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond | 1960 | Calvin Gannis | Season 2 Episode 16: "The Justice Tree" |
| Peter Gunn | 1960 | Henry Lockwood | Season 2 Episode 35: "Letter of the Law" |
| Naked City | 1960 | Andrew Bates | Season 2 Episode 3: "A Succession of Heartbeats" |
| Adventures in Paradise | 1960 | Max Brodie | Season 1 Episode 17: "Judith" |
| Route 66 | 1960-1963 | (1) Hanson (2) Cord Webster (3) Peter Graham (4) Andy Ferguson | (1) Season 1 Episode 4: "The Man on the Monkey Board" (1960) (2) Season 1 Episode 13: "The Quick and the Dead" (1961) (3) Season 3 Episode 13: "Where Is Chick Lorimer, Where Has She Gone?" (1962) (4) Season 3 Episode 31: "Soda Pop and Paper Flags" (1963) |
| Perry Mason | 1961-1963 | (1) Father Paul (2) Deputy District Attorney Nelson Taylor | (1) Season 5 Episode 13: "The Case of the Renegade Refugee" (1961) (2) Season 6 Episode 14: "The Case of the Bluffing Blast" (1963) |
| The Defenders | 1961-1965 | (1) (2) District Attorney Bill Bryan (3) William Bryan (4) District Attorney (5) Malcolm Page (6) Richard Holmes | (1) Season 1 Episode 7: "The Hundred Lives of Harry Simms" (1961) (2) Season 1 Episode 14: "The Prowler" (1961) (3) Season 2 Episode 10: "The Invisible Badge" (1962) (4) Season 2 Episode 11: "The Hidden Jungle" (1962) (5) Season 3 Episode 28: "Yankee Come Home" (1964) (6) Season 4 Episode 28: "The Prosecutor" (1965) |
| The Eleventh Hour | 1962 | Pete Harvey | Season 1 Episode 3: "Make Me a Place" |
| Checkmate | 1962 | Martin Brack | Season 2 Episode 22: "Brooding Fixation" |
| Sam Benedict | 1962 | Roger Colby | Season 1 Episode 15: "Where There's a Will" |
| Laramie | 1962-1963 | (1) Jason Duncan (2) James Courtland | (1) Season 3 Episode 19: "The High Country" (1962) (2) Season 4 Episode 27: "The Last Battleground" (1963) |
| Wagon Train | 1962-1963 | (1) Martin Jennings (2) Doctor | (1) Season 5 Episode 19: "The Lonnie Fallon Story" (1962) (2) Season 7 Episode 13: "The Story of Cain" (1963) |
| Bonanza | 1962-1967 | (1) Captain Matthew White (2) Amos Crenshaw | (1) Season 3 Episode 19: "The Storm" (1962) (2) Season 8 Episode 31: "The Wormwood Cup" (1967) |
| The Virginian | 1962-1967 | (1) Sam Cafferty (2) Mr. Umber (3) Sam Atkins | (1) Season 1 Episode 12: "50 Days to Moose Jaw" (1962) (2) Season 2 Episode 22: "Smile of a Dragon" (1964) (3) Season 5 Episode 26: "A Welcoming Town" (1967) |
| The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | 1963 | George Felse | Season 1 Episode 27: "Death and the Joyful Woman" |
| The Fugitive | 1963 | Sheriff Al Springer | Season 1 Episode 11: "Nightmare at Northoak" |
| The Dick Powell Theatre | 1963 | Dan Corbett | Season 2 Episode 24: "Colossus" |
| Dr. Kildare | 1963 | John Oliver | Season 3 Episode 12: "Charlie Wade Makes Lots of Shade" |
| Stoney Burke | 1963 | Chief Ramsey | Season 1 Episode 23: "Joby" |
| Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | 1963 | Gene Farrell | Season 1 Episode 10: "Corridor 400" |
| Kraft Suspense Theatre | 1964 | Bruce Reynolds | Season 1 Episode 14: "Leviathan Five" |
| Twelve O'Clock High | 1964–1967 | Major Harvey Stovall | 61 episodes |
| The Invaders | 1967 | Dr. Grayson | Season 1 Episode 4: "Genesis" |
| Star Trek | 1967 | Elias Sandoval | Season 1 Episode 24: "This Side of Paradise" |