Bill Overton
Actor Bill Overton was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and was raised by his mother and stepfather, Hessie and Eugene Waterhouse. As a child, Overton attended Boston’s Asa Gray Elementary, W.L.P. Boardman Elementary, Henry L. Higginson Elementary and Lewis Junior High Schools. As an adolescent, Overton was a premiere athlete and member of his school’s football and basketball teams. He attended the historical Boston English High School where he was voted vice president of his senior class.
Overton went on to attend one of Nebraska’s junior colleges and established himself as one his era’s phenomenal football players. His display of athletic talent at the junior college level earned him a full scholarship to attend Wake Forest University. Overton graduated in 1968 as a speech and drama major, and that same year, he was drafted by the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. In 1969, he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs and the following year, he began playing for the Canadian Football League. Then, in 1970, Overton moved back to Boston and worked as a sports agent for Pro Sports, Inc. While there, he was instrumental in the company’s signing of four-time Pro Bowler Raymond Chester, and worked to ensure fair contracts for African American football players.
In 1971, Overton began a career in modeling and was hired for various advertising agencies including Black Beauty and Ford modeling agencies. He helped to launch ad campaigns for Hanes, Benson and Hedges, Canadian Mist, Sears, and Montgomery Ward. During the 1970s, Overton also began appearing in television commercials. He honed his acting skills by enrolling at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City and was mentored by actor Woody Strode. Overton starred in several films throughout the mid-1970s, often appearing in roles that required him to demonstrate his athleticism. He was featured in episodes of the New Perry Mason series, Firehouse and the films Cover Girl and Invisible Strangler. Then, in 1981, he starred alongside Harry Belafonte and LeVar Burton in the film Grambling’s White Tigers.
Overton married award winning actress Jayne Kennedy in 1985. He continued to make television appearances throughout the 1980s and 1990s, starring in classic sitcoms such as The Red Foxx Show, 227, and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
In 2002, Overton published The Media: Shaping an Image of a People. He lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife and three daughters.
A2008.073
Male
4/4/2008
Overton
English High School
Asa Gray School
W.L.P. Boardman Elementary
Henry Lee Higginson Elementary School
George A. Lewis Middle School
Higginson-Lewis K-8 School
Bill
Boston
OVE01
All Seasons
Massachusetts
None
If You Didn't Know How Old You Was, How Old Would You Be?

California
2/26/1947
Los Angeles
United States
Soul Food
Television actor and football player Bill Overton (1947 - ) played in the NFL and Canadian Football League before turning to modeling and acting. His television credits include roles on 'The Redd Foxx Show,' '227' and 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.'
Dallas Cowboys
Kansas City Chiefs
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Ford Modeling Agency
Various
None
Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of Bill Overton's interview
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - Bill Overton lists his favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - Bill Overton describes his mother's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - Bill Overton describes his parents' personalities
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - Bill Overton describes his earliest childhood memory
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - Bill Overton describes his home life
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - Bill Overton remembers his early education
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - Bill Overton remembers his community in Boston, Massachusetts
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - Bill Overton remembers Lewis Junior High School in Boston, Massachusetts
Tape: 1 Story: 10 - Bill Overton recalls enrolling at the English High School in Boston, Massachusetts
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - Bill Overton recalls his experiences the English High School
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - Bill Overton describes his activities at the English High School
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - Bill Overton remembers his football scholarship to McCook Community College in McCook, Nebraska
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - Bill Overton describes his first impressions of McCook Junior College
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - Bill Overton describes his experiences at McCook Junior College
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - Bill Overton recalls transferring to Wake Forest College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - Bill Overton remembers his experiences at Wake Forest College
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - Bill Overton talks about 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - Bill Overton talks about black athletes at Wake Forest College
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - Bill Overton remembers dating at Wake Forest College
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - Bill Overton talks about interracial relationships among celebrities
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - Bill Overton remembers joining the Dallas Cowboys
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - Bill Overton describes racial discrimination in the National Football League
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - Bill Overton talks about the role of race in college basketball
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - Bill Overton recalls playing for the Dallas Cowboys
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - Bill Overton recalls playing for the Kansas City Chiefs
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - Bill Overton recalls joining the Canadian Football League
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - Bill Overton remembers his decision to quit professional football
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - Bill Overton describes his career after leaving professional football
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - Bill Overton remembers his modeling career
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - Bill Overton remembers his decision to pursue acting as a career
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - Bill Overton describes his acting career
Tape: 4 Story: 7 - Bill Overton talks about his marriages
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - Bill Overton recalls his colleagues in the entertainment industry
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - Bill Overton talks about his success in the entertainment industry
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - Bill Overton describes his marriage to Jayne Kennedy
Tape: 5 Story: 4 - Bill Overton talks about his family
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - Bill Overton describes his career as a real estate developer and author
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - Bill Overton describes his book, 'The Media: Shaping the Image of a People'
Tape: 5 Story: 7 - Bill Overton reflects upon the mass media
Tape: 5 Story: 8 - Bill Overton reflects upon the impact of stereotyping
Tape: 5 Story: 9 - Bill Overton shares his advice to future generations
Tape: 6 Story: 1 - Bill Overton talks about African Americans in the entertainment industry
Tape: 6 Story: 2 - Bill Overton describes his hopes and concerns for the African American community, pt. 1
Tape: 6 Story: 3 - Bill Overton describes his hopes and concerns for the African American community, pt. 2
Tape: 6 Story: 4 - Bill Overton reflects upon his legacy
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7$6