Richard Overton (born August 10, 1954) is an American screenwriter, actor and comedian. His writing credits include Dennis Miller Live (1994–2002), and his acting credits include Willow (1988), The Rocketeer (1991), Eight Legged Freaks (2002) and Northfork (2003).

Life and career

Overton was born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, the son of Nancy Overton (née Swain), a singer, and Hall Overton, a teacher and music arranger. He grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, where he attended Dwight Morrow High School. Overton made his first onscreen appearance 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, Amazing Stories and Million Dollar Mystery. In 1992, he landed a role in the FOX Network sketch comedy show 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 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. Overton appeared in a General Electric commercial as the father who wants his son to have his grandfather's hammer.

Filmography

Television

Video game

Writer

Awards and nominations

Emmy Awards Writers Guild of America Award