Portrait of John Ashton

John Ashton

Bio: John David Ashton (February 22, 1948 – September 26, 2024) was an American actor best known for his role as Sergeant John Taggart in the hit action-comedy films Beverly Hills Cop (1984) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), where he played alongside Eddie Murphy. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Ashton developed a passion for acting early in life, later attending the University of Southern California's School of Theatre
Born: Sun, Feb 22 1948
Birthplace: Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Death: Thu, Sep 26 2024
John Ashton is 76 years old
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Acting Roles
Crew Roles

Movies (Acting Roles)

Sorted by Release Date
Poster of All Happy Families
All Happy Families
John Ashton was
76 in All Happy Families
Fri, Sep 20 2024
Poster of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
John Ashton was
76 in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
as 'Chief John Taggart'.
Thu, Jun 20 2024
Poster of BRATS
BRATS
John Ashton was
76 in BRATS
as 'Self (archive footage) (uncredited)'.
Fri, Jun 07 2024
Poster of Lonesome Soldier
Lonesome Soldier
John Ashton was
75 in Lonesome Soldier
as 'Macroberts'.
Fri, Nov 03 2023
Poster of Death in Texas
Death in Texas
John Ashton was
74 in Death in Texas
as 'Asher'.
Thu, Oct 06 2022
Poster of American Christmas
American Christmas
John Ashton was
71 in American Christmas
as 'Rob'.
Mon, Nov 04 2019
Poster of Making a Deal with the Devil
Making a Deal with the Devil
John Ashton was
71 in Making a Deal with the Devil
as 'FBI Director'.
Thu, Jun 20 2019
Poster of The Last Big Save
The Last Big Save
John Ashton was
71 in The Last Big Save
as 'Joseph Bird Sr.'.
Sat, May 18 2019
Poster of Once Upon a River
Once Upon a River
John Ashton was
71 in Once Upon a River
Fri, May 10 2019
Poster of The Joke Thief
The Joke Thief
John Ashton was
70 in The Joke Thief
as 'Joseph Rogers'.
Mon, Apr 16 2018
Poster of Uncle John
Uncle John
John Ashton was
67 in Uncle John
as 'Uncle John'.
Mon, Mar 16 2015
Poster of A Letter to Dad
A Letter to Dad
John Ashton was
61 in A Letter to Dad
as 'Mike Donahue'.
Mon, Jul 27 2009
Poster of Middle Men
Middle Men
John Ashton was
61 in Middle Men
as 'Morgan'.
Sun, May 17 2009
Poster of Gone Baby Gone
Gone Baby Gone
John Ashton was
59 in Gone Baby Gone
as 'Det. Nick Poole'.
Tue, Sep 18 2007
Poster of Reign of the Gargoyles
Reign of the Gargoyles
John Ashton was
59 in Reign of the Gargoyles
as 'Commander Latham'.
Sat, Mar 24 2007
Poster of Escape from Alaska
Escape from Alaska
John Ashton was
51 in Escape from Alaska
as 'Kemp'.
Wed, Jul 28 1999
Poster of Instinct
Instinct
John Ashton was
51 in Instinct
as 'Guard Dacks'.
Fri, Jun 04 1999
Poster of The Day Lincoln Was Shot
The Day Lincoln Was Shot
John Ashton was
50 in The Day Lincoln Was Shot
as 'Ulysses S. Grant'.
Sun, Apr 12 1998
Poster of Meet the Deedles
Meet the Deedles
John Ashton was
50 in Meet the Deedles
as 'Capt. Douglas Pine'.
Fri, Mar 27 1998
Poster of Little Girls in Pretty Boxes
Little Girls in Pretty Boxes
John Ashton was
48 in Little Girls in Pretty Boxes
as 'Peter Bryant'.
Sat, Jan 18 1997
Poster of Fast Money
Fast Money
John Ashton was
48 in Fast Money
as 'Lt. Diego'.
Tue, Aug 13 1996
Poster of For Which He Stands
For Which He Stands
John Ashton was
48 in For Which He Stands
as 'District Attorney'.
Fri, May 17 1996
Poster of The Shooter
The Shooter
John Ashton was
47 in The Shooter
as 'Alex Reed'.
Fri, Dec 15 1995
Poster of Condition Red
Condition Red
John Ashton was
47 in Condition Red
as 'Deputy Warden'.
Fri, Dec 08 1995
Poster of Trapped in Paradise
Trapped in Paradise
John Ashton was
46 in Trapped in Paradise
as 'Ed Dawson'.
Fri, Dec 02 1994
Poster of Little Big League
Little Big League
John Ashton was
46 in Little Big League
as 'Mac MacNally'.
Wed, Jun 29 1994
Poster of Dirty Work
Dirty Work
John Ashton was
44 in Dirty Work
as 'Eddie Ryan'.
Wed, Jul 22 1992
Poster of Curly Sue
Curly Sue
John Ashton was
43 in Curly Sue
as 'Frank Arnold'.
Fri, Oct 25 1991
Poster of I Want to Go Home
I Want to Go Home
John Ashton was
41 in I Want to Go Home
as 'Harry Dempsey'.
Wed, Sep 27 1989
Poster of Midnight Run
Midnight Run
John Ashton was
40 in Midnight Run
as 'Marvin Dorfler'.
Wed, Jul 20 1988
Poster of She's Having a Baby
She's Having a Baby
John Ashton was
39 in She's Having a Baby
as 'Ken'.
Fri, Feb 05 1988
Poster of Beverly Hills Cop II
Beverly Hills Cop II
John Ashton was
39 in Beverly Hills Cop II
as 'John Taggart'.
Mon, May 18 1987
Poster of Some Kind of Wonderful
Some Kind of Wonderful
John Ashton was
39 in Some Kind of Wonderful
as 'Cliff Nelson'.
Fri, Feb 27 1987
Poster of King Kong Lives
King Kong Lives
John Ashton was
38 in King Kong Lives
as 'Lt. Col. R.T. Nevitt'.
Tue, Dec 16 1986
Poster of The Deliberate Stranger
The Deliberate Stranger
John Ashton was
38 in The Deliberate Stranger
as 'Det. Roger Dunn'.
Sun, May 04 1986
Poster of Last Resort
Last Resort
John Ashton was
38 in Last Resort
as 'Phil Cocoran'.
Mon, Mar 31 1986
Poster of Beverly Hills Cop
Beverly Hills Cop
John Ashton was
36 in Beverly Hills Cop
as 'Sgt. Taggart'.
Wed, Dec 05 1984
Poster of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
John Ashton was
36 in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
as 'Highway Patrolman'.
Fri, Aug 10 1984
Poster of Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link
Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link
John Ashton was
35 in Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link
as 'Cash Hunt'.
Sun, Jan 01 1984
Poster of Honky Tonk Freeway
Honky Tonk Freeway
John Ashton was
33 in Honky Tonk Freeway
as 'Otto Kemper'.
Fri, Aug 21 1981
Poster of Elvis and the Beauty Queen
Elvis and the Beauty Queen
John Ashton was
33 in Elvis and the Beauty Queen
as 'Jake'.
Sun, Mar 01 1981
Poster of Borderline
Borderline
John Ashton was
32 in Borderline
as 'Charlie Monroe'.
Fri, Dec 19 1980
Poster of Lawman Without a Gun
Lawman Without a Gun
John Ashton was
31 in Lawman Without a Gun
as '1st State Trooper'.
Wed, May 30 1979
Poster of Breaking Away
Breaking Away
John Ashton was
31 in Breaking Away
as 'Mike's Brother'.
Thu, May 24 1979
Poster of The Wilds of Ten Thousand Islands
The Wilds of Ten Thousand Islands
John Ashton was
30 in The Wilds of Ten Thousand Islands
as 'Orville'.
Tue, Feb 28 1978
Poster of Oh, God!
Oh, God!
John Ashton was
29 in Oh, God!
as 'Police Officer (uncredited)'.
Fri, Oct 07 1977
Poster of Cat Murkil and the Silks
Cat Murkil and the Silks
John Ashton was
28 in Cat Murkil and the Silks
as 'Coach Larkin'.
Thu, Jul 01 1976
Poster of My Father's House
My Father's House
John Ashton was
27 in My Father's House
as 'Sergeant'.
Sun, Jun 01 1975
Poster of Psycho Sisters
Psycho Sisters
John Ashton was
26 in Psycho Sisters
as 'Brock'.
Wed, Dec 25 1974
Poster of An Eye for an Eye
An Eye for an Eye
John Ashton was
25 in An Eye for an Eye
as 'Sgt. Matthews'.
Fri, Sep 28 1973

TV Shows (Acting Roles)

Sorted by Release Date
Ages in TV shows are based off the first air date and may not be accurate. View individual episode details for accurate ages
Poster of The Finder
The Finder
John Ashton was
63+ in The Finder
as 'Franklin Sherman'.
First Air Date
Thu, Jan 12 2012
Poster of Fairly Legal
Fairly Legal
John Ashton was
62+ in Fairly Legal
as 'Lou Fisher'.
First Air Date
Thu, Jan 20 2011
Poster of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
John Ashton was
51+ in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
as 'Alan Fewkes'.
First Air Date
Mon, Sep 20 1999
Poster of Judging Amy
Judging Amy
John Ashton was
51+ in Judging Amy
as 'Dashiel Purdue'.
First Air Date
Sun, Sep 19 1999
Poster of Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
John Ashton was
50+ in Fantasy Island
as 'Bobby'.
First Air Date
Sat, Sep 26 1998
Poster of King of the Hill
King of the Hill
John Ashton was
48+ in King of the Hill
as 'Instructor (voice)'.
First Air Date
Sun, Jan 12 1997
Poster of JAG
JAG
John Ashton was
47+ in JAG
as 'Brian Turque'.
First Air Date
Sat, Sep 23 1995
Poster of The Tommyknockers
The Tommyknockers
John Ashton was
45+ in The Tommyknockers
as 'Butch Duggan'.
First Air Date
Sun, May 09 1993
Poster of A Touch of Frost
A Touch of Frost
John Ashton was
44+ in A Touch of Frost
First Air Date
Sun, Dec 06 1992
Poster of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
John Ashton was
44+ in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
First Air Date
Mon, May 25 1992
Poster of Hardball
Hardball
John Ashton was
41+ in Hardball
as 'Charlie Battles'.
First Air Date
Thu, Sep 21 1989
Poster of I Know My First Name Is Steven
I Know My First Name Is Steven
John Ashton was
41+ in I Know My First Name Is Steven
as 'Del Stayner'.
First Air Date
Mon, May 22 1989
Poster of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
John Ashton was
37+ in The Twilight Zone
as 'Chief Brady Simmons'.
First Air Date
Fri, Sep 27 1985
Poster of A Death in California
A Death in California
John Ashton was
37+ in A Death in California
as 'Bob Swalwell'.
First Air Date
Sun, May 12 1985
Poster of The A-Team
The A-Team
John Ashton was
34+ in The A-Team
as 'Cactus Jack Slater'.
First Air Date
Sun, Jan 23 1983
Poster of Police Squad!
Police Squad!
John Ashton was
34+ in Police Squad!
First Air Date
Thu, Mar 04 1982
Poster of Dallas
Dallas
John Ashton was
30+ in Dallas
as 'Willie Joe Garr'.
First Air Date
Sun, Apr 02 1978
Poster of Code R
Code R
John Ashton was
28+ in Code R
as 'Karl'.
First Air Date
Fri, Jan 21 1977
Poster of Starsky & Hutch
Starsky & Hutch
John Ashton was
27+ in Starsky & Hutch
First Air Date
Wed, Sep 10 1975
Poster of Police Woman
Police Woman
John Ashton was
26+ in Police Woman
First Air Date
Fri, Sep 13 1974
Poster of Kojak
Kojak
John Ashton was
25+ in Kojak
as 'Cullen'.
First Air Date
Wed, Oct 24 1973
Poster of Police Story
Police Story
John Ashton was
25+ in Police Story
First Air Date
Tue, Mar 20 1973
Poster of M*A*S*H
M*A*S*H
John Ashton was
24+ in M*A*S*H
First Air Date
Sun, Sep 17 1972
Poster of Columbo
Columbo
John Ashton was
23+ in Columbo
as 'Calvin MacGruder'.
First Air Date
Wed, Sep 15 1971
Poster of Today
Today
John Ashton was
3+ in Today
as 'Self'.
First Air Date
Mon, Jan 14 1952