Born in Babylon, New York, Overton launched his acting career on the New York stage, where he appeared in Broadway productions such as Jacobowsky and the Colonel (1943) and The Desperate Hours (1954). Transitioning to screen, he became recognizable for portraying Sheriff Heck Tate in the classic film To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and for the role of General Bogan in the Cold-War thriller Fail Safe…
