John Ashton (actor)

Biography

Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Ashton attended Defiance College in Ohio and was a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Theatre and Dance. He attended Enfield High School in Enfield, Connecticut.

Ashton made numerous appearances in both television and feature films. He played Willie Joe Garr on several episodes of Dallas. He appeared in an episode of Columbo, "Negative Reaction", and in episode 5 of Police Squad!, "Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood)".

His early film credits included roles in An Eye for an Eye (1973), Breaking Away (1979), Borderline (1980), Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), Last Resort (1986) and King Kong Lives (1986).

Ashton starred as Detective Sergeant John Taggart in the first two installments of the Beverly Hills Cop series, alongside Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold. He appeared as Eric Stoltz's character's father in the 1987 John Hughes-penned comedy-drama Some Kind of Wonderful, and worked with Hughes again in She's Having a Baby in 1988.

In 1988, he co-starred in the action-comedy Midnight Run as a rival bounty hunter to Robert De Niro's character. He starred in Little Big League (1994) with Luke Edwards, Trapped in Paradise (1994), The Shooter (1995), Meet the Deedles (1998), Instinct (1999), and appeared in a supporting role in the 2007 drama Gone Baby Gone directed by Ben Affleck. He played the role of Cactus Jack Slater in an episode of the 80s TV show The A-Team titled "Cup A' Joe".

Ashton stated that, given the proper arrangements, he would like to reprise his roles in the rumored Beverly Hills Cop IV and Midnight Run II productions; he ultimately appeared in 2024's Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. He guest-starred opposite Beverly Hills Cop co-star Ronny Cox in an episode of Matthew Perry's 2011 series, Mr. Sunshine.

Personal life and death

Ashton married his first wife Victoria Marie Runn in 1968; they divorced in 1970. He married his second wife Bridget Baker-Ashton in 1976; they divorced in 2001. He married his third wife, Robin Hoye, in 2002. Ashton had a daughter from his first marriage and a son from his second marriage. Ashton had three step-children from his third marriage.

On September 26, 2024, Ashton died from cancer in Fort Collins, Colorado, at the age of 76, two months after the release of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, which turned out to be one of his final films. Three months after his death, one of his films, Beverly Hills Cop, was inducted into Library of Congress’ National Film Registry.

Filmography

Source:

Film

Television

References

https://www.kibbeyfishburn.com/obituary/john-ashton

References

1. Buchanan, Jason. "John Ashton film biography". [[AllRovi]].
2. (July 14, 2014). "The Official Website of the Actor". American Actor John Ashton.
3. Phillips, Zoe G.. (September 29, 2024). "John Ashton, 'Beverly Hills Cop' Actor, Dies at 76". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
4. Gilbey, Ryan. (2024-10-01). "John Ashton obituary". The Guardian.
5. Tartaglione, Anthony D'Alessandro,Nancy. (2024-12-17). "National Film Registry: ‘Dirty Dancing’, ‘Beverly Hills Cop’, ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan’ & ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Among 25 Movies Added This Year".
6. "25 Films Named to National Film Registry for Preservation".
7. "John Ashton".
8. Simpson, K.T. (August 31, 2022). "John Ashton is back as Taggart for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F".