Editing Rick Overton

{{short description|American actor (born 1954)}}
{{BLP sources|date=July 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| image        = Comedian Rick Overton (2017-10-26).jpg
| caption      = Overton performing at the [[Nerdist Industries#Nerdist Showroom|Nerdist Showroom]] in Los Angeles in 2017
| birth_name   = Richard Overton
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1954|08|10}}
| birth_place  = [[Forest Hills, Queens]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.<ref name="filmr" />
| occupation   = {{flatlist|
* Actor
* screenwriter
}}
| years_active = 1982–present
}}

'''Richard Overton''' (born August 10, 1954)<ref name="filmr" /> is an American actor and screenwriter. His writing credits include ''[[Dennis Miller Live]]'' (1994–2002), for which he received a [[Primetime Emmy Awards|Primetime Emmy Award]], while his acting credits include ''[[Gung Ho (film)|Gung Ho]]'' and ''[[Odd Jobs (1986 film)|Odd Jobs]]'' (both 1986), ''[[Million Dollar Mystery]]'' (1987), ''[[Willow (1988 film)|Willow]]'' (1988), ''[[The Rocketeer (film)|The Rocketeer]]'' (1991), ''[[Eight Legged Freaks]]'' (2002) and ''[[Northfork]]'' (2003).

== Life and career ==
Overton was born on August 10, 1954, in [[Forest Hills, Queens]], [[New York (state)|New York]], the son of [[Nancy Overton]] ([[married and maiden names|née]] Swain), a singer, and [[Hall Overton]], a teacher and music arranger.<ref name="filmr">{{cite web|website=filmreference.com|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/70/Rick-Overton.html|title=Rick Overton Biography}}</ref> He grew up in [[Englewood, New Jersey]],{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} where he attended [[Dwight Morrow High School]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Hu, Winnie|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/education/16major.html|title=Forced to Pick a Major in High School|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 16, 2007|accessdate=August 17, 2007|quote=The comedians David Feldman and Rick Overton, alumni of the high school, are scheduled to conduct a comedy writing workshop in October.}}</ref>

Overton made his first onscreen appearance performing his standup act in 1981's ''HBO Presents The 6th Annual Young Comedians''.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387006/ "HBO Presents The 6th Annual Young Comedians"], imdb.com.  Accessed February 2, 2025.</ref>  His first movie role was in the 1982 film ''[[Young Doctors in Love]]'', followed by a small role in ''[[Airplane II: The Sequel]]'' later that year. In 1987, he wrote an episode of ''[[The New Adventures of Beans Baxter]]'' while also appearing in various films and television shows including ''[[Willow (1988 film)|Willow]]'', ''[[Amazing Stories (1985 TV series)|Amazing Stories]]'' and ''[[Million Dollar Mystery]]''.

In 1992, he landed a role in the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX Network]] [[sketch comedy]] show ''[[The Edge (TV series)|The Edge]]''. The show ended in 1993. Later that year, Overton appeared in two episodes of ''[[Seinfeld]]'' and landed a small role in ''[[Mrs. Doubtfire]]''. The following year, he won an Emmy for writing an episode of ''Dennis Miller Live''.

In 2005, Overton appeared on ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'' and ''[[Joan of Arcadia]]''; in the latter he played God explaining to the title character the meaning of real wealth. He also portrayed both [[H. G. Wells]] and [[Orson Welles]] in a [[podcast]] episode of ''[[The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd]]'' that same year.

In 2009, Overton appeared in the film ''A Fork in the Road'' alongside [[Jaime King]].<ref>{{cite web|title=A Fork in the Road|publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_fork_in_the_road/cast-and-crew}}</ref>

In 2010s, Overton appeared in a [[General Electric]] commercial.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/television-q-a-the-catch-martin-milner-and-more/article_3ef3cd0e-b414-5f1f-a76e-ed99b7cec3e0.html|newspaper=[[The Virgin Islands Daily News]]|title=Television Q&A: 'The Catch,' Martin Milner, and more|date=August 1, 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250401234937/https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/television-q-a-the-catch-martin-milner-and-more/article_3ef3cd0e-b414-5f1f-a76e-ed99b7cec3e0.html|archivedate=April 1, 2025|author=Heldnefels, Rich}}</ref>

== Filmography ==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
*''Target...Earth?'' (1980, Documentary) – Himself
*''[[Young Doctors in Love]]'' (1982) – Dr. Thurman Flicker
*''[[Airplane II: The Sequel]]'' (1982) – Clerk
*''[[Beverly Hills Cop]]'' (1984) – Bonded Warehouse Night Supervisor
*''[[Odd Jobs (1986 film)|Odd Jobs]]'' (1986) – Roy
*''[[Gung Ho (film)|Gung Ho]]'' (1986) – Googie
*''[[A Fine Mess (film)|A Fine Mess]]'' (1986) – Companion
*''[[Modern Girls]]'' (1986) – Marsalis
*''[[Million Dollar Mystery]]'' (1987) – Stuart Briggs
*''[[Willow (1988 film)|Willow]]'' (1988) – Franjean
*''[[Traxx (film)|Traxx]]'' (1988) – Frank Williams
*''[[Earth Girls Are Easy]]'' (1988) – Dr. Rick
*''[[That's Adequate]]'' (1989) – Stand-up Comic
*''[[A Sinful Life]]'' (1989) – Janitor
*''[[Blind Fury]]'' (1989) – Tector Pike
*''[[The Rocketeer (film)|The Rocketeer]]'' (1991) – South Seas Patron
*''[[Galaxies Are Colliding]]'' (1992) – Rex
*''[[Groundhog Day (film)|Groundhog Day]]'' (1993) – Ralph
*''[[Mrs. Doubtfire]]'' (1993) – Maitre D'
*''[[The High Crusade]]'' (1994) – Sir Roger
*''[[Devil in the Flesh (1998 film)|Devil in the Flesh]]'' (1998) – Dr. Milletson
*''[[My Giant]]'' (1998) – Director
*''[[EDtv]]'' (1999) – Barry
*''[[Jackpot (2001 film)|Jackpot]]'' (2001) – Roland
*''Extreme Honor'' (2001) – Dr. Lumber
*''Shoot or Be Shot'' (2002) – Sasha
*''[[Eight Legged Freaks]]'' (2002) – Deputy Pete Willis
*''[[Northfork]]'' (2003) – Rudolph
*''Motocross Kids'' (2004) – Hook
*''[[Serial Killing 4 Dummys]]'' (2004) – Mr. Korn
*''Off the Lip'' (2004) – McReady
*''[[Taxi (2004 film)|Taxi]]'' (2004) – Man at Taxi Convention
*''[[Fat Albert (film)|Fat Albert]]'' (2004) – Coach Gillespie
*''[[Frostbite (2005 film)|Frostbite]]'' (2005) – Bartender
*''[[A Lot Like Love]]'' (2005) – Tailor
*''Keep Your Distance'' (2005) – Dr. Floyd Beasley
*''[[Popstar (film)|Popstar]]'' (2005) – Mr. Thomas
*''[[Fun with Dick and Jane (2005 film)|Fun with Dick and Jane]]'' (2005) – Head Shop Clerk
*''Blue Sombrero'' (2005) – General Hard / Fabio / Major Cajones
*''[[Cloud 9 (2006 film)|Cloud 9]]'' (2006) – Buckner
*''Billy Schulz'' (2006) – Billy Schulz
*''The Last Stand'' (2006) – Redneck Heckler
*''Comedy Hell'' (2006) – Wayne
*''[[The Tripper]]'' (2006) – Mayor Hal Burton
*''[[The Astronaut Farmer]]'' (2006) – Arnold 'Arnie' Millard
*''[[National Lampoon's Pledge This!]]'' (2006) – Janitor Jones
*''Chasing Robert'' (2007) – Thadeus Wrazinski
*''The Metrosexual'' (2007) – Meter Maid
*''[[A Plumm Summer]]'' (2007) – Agent Brinkman
*''Totally Baked'' (2007) – Himself – Street Interview
*''[[Cloverfield]]'' (2008) – Frantic Man
*''So Long Jimmy'' (2008) – Dimitri Adams
*''The Whole Truth'' (2009) – Uri Standinoff
*''[[Year One (film)|Year One]]'' (2009) – Sodom Officer Rick (uncredited)
*''[[The Informant!]]'' (2009) – Terry Wilson
*''A Fork in the Road'' (in post-production, 2010) – Sheriff Thompson
*''Jelly'' (Post-Production, 2010) – Tad Wasserstein
*''[[Dinner for Schmucks]]'' (2010) – Chuck – Beard Champion
*''[[InSight (film)|InSight]]'' (2011) – Det. Gehrke
*''[[Bad Teacher]]'' (2011) – Philip
*''Frogtown'' (2011) – Steve
*''[[The Babymakers]]'' (2012) – Officer Raspler
*''[[Noobz]]'' (2012) – Martin Wilson
*''[[A Haunted House 2]]'' (2014) – Professor Wilde
*''[[Such Good People]]'' (2014) – Sidney Talmadge
*''[[Muffin Top: A Love Story]]'' (2014) – Steve
*''Lethal Seduction'' (2015) – Deacon Williams
*''Body High'' (2015) – Abe
*''30 Years of Dark Seduction'' (2015) – Himself
*''[[Dave Made a Maze]]'' (2017) – Hobo
*''[[Literally, Right Before Aaron]]'' (2017) – Dean
*''[[A Futile and Stupid Gesture (film)|A Futile and Stupid Gesture]]'' (2018) – First Publisher
*''[[Duck Duck Goose (film)|Duck Duck Goose]]'' (2018) – Stanley (voice)
{{div col end}}

=== Television ===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
*''HBO Presents The 6th Annual Young Comedians'' – Himself
*''[[Remington Steele]]'' (1 episode, 1983) – New Wave Cop
*''Help Wanted: Kids'' (1986) – Photographer
*''Double Switch'' (1987) – DeeJay
*''[[Amazing Stories (1985 TV series)|Amazing Stories]]'' (1 episode, 1987) – John Aubrey
*''Jonathan Winters: On the Ledge'' (1987, TV Movie) – Additional Improviser
*''Encyclopedia Brown'' (1 episode, 1989) – Buddy Claggett
*''[[Babes (TV Series)|Babes]]'' (10 episodes, 1990) – Ronnie Underwood
*[[Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990 TV series)|''Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures'' (animated)]] (1991) – voice of Rufus
*[[Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1992 TV series)|''Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures'' (live action)]]'(1992) – Rufus
*''[[The Edge (TV series)|The Edge]]'' (7 episodes, 1992–1993)
*''[[Seinfeld]]'' (2 episodes, 1993) – The Drake
*''Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 Women'' (1994, TV Movie) – Officer Brown
*''[[Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman]]'' (2 episodes, 1994–1995) – Victor
*''[[Duckman]]'' (1 episode, 1995) – (voice)
*''Encino Woman'' (1996, TV Movie) – Raji
*''[[The Single Guy]]'' (2 episodes, 1996) – Carl Gannon / Gannon
*''[[Married... with Children]]'' (2 episodes, 1996) – Dr. Fisher
*''[[Ned and Stacey]]'' (1 episode, 1997) – Rod
*''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'' (1 episode, 1997) – Mr. McNamara
*''[[The Weird Al Show]]'' (1 episode, 1997) – Mr. Molasses
*''[[Mad About You]]'' (2 episodes, 1998) – Earl / Shepherd
*''[[Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show]]'' (1 episode, 1998) – George
*''[[It's Like, You Know...]]'' (2 episodes, 1999–2001) – Evan / Milosevic
*''[[The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne]]'' (5 episodes, 2000) – Count Gregory
*''[[Charmed]]'' (3 episodes, 2000) – Triad Member #3
*''[[JAG (TV series)|JAG]]'' (1 episode, 2001) – William Markey
*''[[Curb Your Enthusiasm]]'' (1 episode, 2001) – Angry Gentile
*''Comic Remix'' (1 episode, 2002)
*''My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star'' (11 episodes, 2002) – Dole Greyson
*''[[NYPD Blue]]'' (1 episode, 2002) – Richard Webb
*''[[According to Jim]]'' (1 episode, 2004) – Rick
*''[[Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]'' (1 episode, 2004) – Thomas Sheedy
*''[[Joan of Arcadia]]'' (1 episode, 2004) – Bad Stand-Up Comedian God
*''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'' (1 episode, 2005) – Alexei Vasilevich
*''Family Plan'' (2005, TV Movie) – Owens
*''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]'' (1 episode, 2005) – Matthew Reed
*''Van Stone: Tour of Duty'' (2006, TV Movie) – Gary Seibert's Dad
*''[[Rodney (TV series)|Rodney]]'' (1 episode, 2006) – Max
*''[[Drive (2007 TV series)|Drive]]'' (1 episode, 2007) – Bank Manager
*''[[Leverage (American TV series)|Leverage]]'' (3 episodes, 2008–2009) – Taggert / FBI Agent Taggert
*''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]'' (2 episodes, 2009) – William Beesly
*''[[True Jackson, VP]]'' (1 episode, 2010) – Jimmy's Dad
* ''[[The George Lucas Talk Show]]'' (1 episode, 2020) – Self
* ''[[Secret Level]]'' (1 episode, 2024) – [[Dr. Light (Mega Man)|Dr. Light]]
{{div col end}}

=== Video game ===
*''[[The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction]]'' (2005)

=== Writer ===
*''An Evening at the Improv'' (1 episode, 1983)
*''[[The New Adventures of Beans Baxter]]'' (1 episode, 1987)
*''[[Dennis Miller Live]]'' (Unknown episodes, 1994)

== Awards and nominations ==
[[Emmy Awards]]
*Nominated: Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program, ''[[Dennis Miller Live]]'' (1997)
*Won: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program, ''Dennis Miller Live'' (1996)

[[Writers Guild of America Award]]
*Nominated: Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series, ''Dennis Miller Live'' (1997)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.realrickoverton.com/ www.realrickoverton.com]
*{{IMDb name|0653959}}
*[https://www.myspace.com/rickoverton Rick Overton on MySpace]
*[http://manschoolshow.com/blog/2014/4/4/class-56-my-talented-family-with-rick-overton Rick Overton interviewed about growing up with a jazz legend father]

{{EmmyAward ComedyVarietyMusicWriting 1990s}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Overton, Rick}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
[[Category:American male comedians]]
[[Category:Dwight Morrow High School alumni]]
[[Category:Male actors from Queens, New York]]
[[Category:People from Forest Hills, Queens]]
[[Category:Male actors from Englewood, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Comedians from New Jersey]]
[[Category:Comedians from Queens, New York]]
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:21st-century American comedians]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from New Jersey]]