John Henton (born November 23, 1960) is an American actor and comedian. Henton is best known for his roles as Overton Wakefield Jones on the

FOX Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

sitcom ''

Living Single ''Living Single'' is an American television sitcom created by Yvette Lee Bowser that aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who shared personal and professi ...

'' and as Milsap Morris on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...

sitcom ''

The Hughleys ''The Hughleys'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on UPN from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian D. L. Hughley as the main character, Darryl Hughley, and Elise Neal as Yvon ...

''.

Life and career

Henton was born in

East Cleveland, Ohio East Cleveland is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and is the first suburb encountered when travelling east from Cleveland. The population was 13,792 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. East Clevela ...

. He is a graduate of Shaw High School. In 1982, Henton had a day job working at a paint warehouse and was taking computer classes in the evenings. He decided to perform at an amateur night at a Cleveland comedy club. On his second performance, Henton won the amateur night contest. Henton was a stand-up comedian in the Cleveland area for a few years.Goudas, John N. (January 10, 1993).
Standup Comic John Henton Slated for Stardom
. ''King Features Syndicate''. The Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania). p. 53. He took his comedy on the road for a year and won the 1991 Johnny Walker National Comedy Search. Henton was spotted by ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

'' comedy executive

Jim McCawley Jim McCawley (May 31, 1942 – May 3, 1997) was a screenwriter and former television producer of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', for which, in 1992, he won an Emmy, in the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program (Series) categor ...

, who booked him to perform on the show on June 5, 1991. As Henton finished his set, he looked to

Carson Carson may refer to: People *Carson (surname), people with the surname *Carson (given name), people with the given name Places ;In the United States * Carson, California, a city * Carson Township, Fayette County, Illinois *Carson, Iowa, a city * ...

for his approval. Carson,

Ed McMahon Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. (March 6, 1923 – June 23, 2009) was an American announcer, game show host, comedian, actor, singer, and combat aviator. McMahon and Johnny Carson began their association in their first TV series, the ABC game sh ...

, and guest

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...

all waved Henton over to take a seat on Carson's guest couch. During a commercial break, Carson asked Henton if he had an agent. Henton said he didn't, and Carson told him, "Well you will after tonight." Henton appeared on ''

Comic Strip Live The Comic Strip Live is the oldest stand-up comedy showcase club in New York City, located at 1568 Second Avenue (between 81st and 82nd Streets). History The Comic Strip was opened in 1976. Richard Tienken and Robert Wachs were two of the club ...

'' ten days later, and he was booked for a second performance on ''The Tonight Show'' on October 11.McLellan, Dennis (July 30, 1992).
Henton Flies High After 'Tonight Show' Leap
. ''The Los Angeles Times''. Henton's comedy special, ''John Henton: Comedy with an Attitude'', aired on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

in January 1993. Henton played the role of Overton Wakefield Jones on the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

sitcom ''

''. He also played Milsap Morris on the

sitcom ''

''. Henton has made guest appearances on other sitcoms '' One on One'', ''

The Parkers ''The Parkers'' is an American television sitcom aired on UPN from August 30, 1999, to May 10, 2004. A Spin-off (media), spin-off of UPN's ''Moesha'', ''The Parkers'' features the mother-daughter team of Nikki (played by Mo'Nique) and Kim Parker ...

'', ''

For Your Love "For Your Love" is a rock song written by Graham Gouldman and recorded by English group the Yardbirds. Released in March 1965, it was their first top ten hit in both the UK and the US. The song was a departure from the group's blues roots in ...

'', ''

Hannah Montana ''Hannah Montana'' is an American teen sitcom created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll and Barry O'Brien that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between March2006 and January2011. The series centers on Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), a ...

'' and ''

Love That Girl! ''Love That Girl!'' is an American sitcom that airs on TV One and debuted on January 19, 2010. The series started off as a four episode, independently produced series presentation that aired as a special three-night event, and was later ordered ...

''. In September 2000, Henton was involved in a serious car accident that "destroyed his left eye socket, shattered both of his legs, broke nine teeth and ripped up his stomach". His face was badly deformed by the incident, though extensive plastic surgery restored most of his facial structure.DUI Crash Was A Halloween Horror Story Comedian Couldn't Laugh About
. ''Retrieved August 1, 2012.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henton, John American stand-up comedians American male television actors Living people 1960 births 21st-century American comedians People from East Cleveland, Ohio 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors