Chris Overton

Chris Overton
Born	England
Occupation(s)	Actor, filmmaker
Years active	2000–present
Spouse	Rachel Shenton ​ (m. 2018)​

Chris Overton is an English actor and filmmaker. He is known for his role as Liam McAllister in the soap opera Hollyoaks , and for directing and co-producing the short film The Silent Child .

Early life and education

Chris Overton was born and grew up in Cannock, Staffordshire. ^[1]

Career

In 2010 Overton played Liam McAllister, a former footballer who became a cage fighter, in Hollyoaks . ^[2]

In 2017 he directed a short film called The Silent Child, about a profoundly deaf four-year-old girl who is taught British sign language by a social worker, played by Rachel Fenton (who was also in Hollyoaks). ^[2] The film won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. ^{[3] [4]}

His second short film as a director, Leader, was about climate change, and made using a smartphone. It had its world premiere at the SmartFone Flick Fest in Sydney, Australia. ^{[5] [6]}

Personal life

Overton married Rachel Shenton, who had co-produced and starred in The Silent Child, in a private wedding in 2018, after being in a relationship since around 2010. ^{[7] [8]}

Filmography

Actor

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone		Video game; voices only
2003	The Big Read	Will Parry
2004	The Brief	Ryan Eltham
	The Phantom of the Opera	Young Phantom	Feature film
	Doctors	Alex Cummings	TV series
2005	Oliver Twist	Noah Claypole	Feature film
	The Mysti Show	Jack
2009	Doctors	Nick Fenwright	TV series
2010	A Touch of Frost	Sean Berland	TV series
	Hollyoaks Later	Liam McAllister	TV series
	Hollyoaks	Liam	TV series
2011	Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps	Graham
2012	Casualty	James Bowman	TV series
	DCI Banks	Tyler Judd	TV series
2013	Dalston Heath	Finn	Short film
	WPC 56	PC Eddie Coulson
	Prisoner's Wives	Blake Fenner
2014	Pride	Reggie Blennerhassett	Feature film
2015	Drifters	Maggot	TV series. Series 3 episode 5: "Plus One"
2019	A Glimpse	Alex	Short film

Director

Year	Title	Notes
2017	The Silent Child	Short film
2022	Leader	Short film made on a smartphone

References

1. Overton, Chris. "Chris Overton: Director/producer". FilmFreeway . Retrieved 23 May 2025.
2. Paterson, Colin (20 January 2018). "The Silent Child: From Hollyoaks to Hollywood?". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
3. "Oscars 2018: The list of nominees in full". BBC News. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
4. "Award Winner Interview: Chris Overton - Encounters Film Festival". Encounters Film Festival. 15 November 2017. Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
5. Gbogbo, Mawunyo (25 February 2022). "Films shot on mobile phones to be screened from Australia at international festival". ABC News. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
6. "SmartFone Flick Fest (SF3)". IF Magazine . 1 March 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
7. Parker, Hayley (19 September 2024). "Rachel's off-screen life with husband as All Creatures Great and Small returns". Stoke on Trent Live. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
8. Parker, Hayley; Palmer, Katie (12 August 2024). "Rachel Shenton's off-screen life with famous husband". Stoke on Trent Live. Retrieved 23 May 2025.

External links

• Chris Overton at IMDb
• Chris Overton at Directors Now (includes interview)