Ion Overman is a veteran actress, humanitarian and socially conscious entrepreneur who has appeared in almost 300 television episodes and feature length films, and has help raise millions of dollars for nonprofit initiatives across a wide range of efforts.
Ion recently starred as Lt. Ruiz opposite Jeremy Piven and Richard T. Jones in the CBS crime drama “Wisdom of the Crowd,” but is best known as Linda in Tyler Perry’s most successful movie to date, “Madea Goes to Jail,” which generated over $90 million at the box office. Ion is also well-known as fan favorite Candace in Showtime’s ground-breaking series, “The L Word.”
Ion made her acting debut in the 1995 movie “The Walking Dead” before starring in the UPN sitcom “Love, Inc.” She went on to appear in numerous films and recurred on hit television shows including “Desperate Housewives,” “Secret Life of an American Teenager,” and “Ghost Whisperer.” Ion has also made guest star appearances on “Two and a Half Men,” “NCIS,” “Leverage,” “CSI: Miami,” “Castle,” “Without a Trace,” and “SEAL Team.”
Ion loves animals and is a passionate supporter of environmental causes such as the work being done by the ASPCA, The World Wildlife Fund and The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. As a member of the Advisory Council for the Arts, Hearts + Philanthropy initiative, she has lent her name to dozens of social impact campaigns and fundraising events along-side leaders in business and Hollywood, including James Cameron, Quincy Jones, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Mackie and Richard Branson, among others. Events and campaigns have supported organizations such as THORN, INROADS, US Dream Academy, Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, Downtown Women’s Shelter, Give Kids The World Village, Just Keep Livin,’ the Jenesse Project and onePULSE Foundation.
Ion was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and graduated with a degree in English Literature from UCLA. As both an artist and a socially conscious entrepreneur, Ion is always on the lookout for opportunities to marry her interests in fashion, traveling, animals and the arts with making a positive impact on society.