# John Ashton (actor)

John David Ashton (February 22, 1948 – September 26, 2024) was an American actor, known for his roles in the Beverly Hills Cop films, Some Kind of Wonderful, and Midnight Run.

## 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.

## Filmography

Source:

### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1973 | The Psychopath | Sgt. Matthews | AKA An Eye for an Eye As John D. Ashton |
| 1974 | So Evil, My Sister | Brock | |
| 1976 | Cat Murkil and the Silks | Coach Larkin | |
| 1977 | Oh, God! | Police Officer | Uncredited |
| 1980 | Breaking Away | Roy (older brother of Mike) | |
| 1980 | Borderline | Border Patrol Agent Charlie Monroe | |
| 1981 | Honky Tonk Freeway | Otto Kemper | |
| 1984 | The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension | Highway Patrolman | As John David Ashton |
| 1984 | Beverly Hills Cop | Sgt. John Taggart | |
| 1984 | Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link | Cash Hunt | Video short |
| 1986 | Last Resort | Phil Cocoran | |
| 1986 | King Kong Lives | Lt. Col. R. T. Nevitt | |
| 1987 | Some Kind of Wonderful | Cliff Nelson | |
| 1987 | Beverly Hills Cop II | Sgt. John Taggart | |
| 1988 | She's Having a Baby | Ken | |
| 1988 | Midnight Run | Marvin Dorfler | |
| 1989 | I Want to Go Home | Harry Dempsey | |
| 1991 | Curly Sue | Frank Arnold | Uncredited |
| 1994 | Little Big League | Mac Macnally | |
| 1994 | Trapped in Paradise | Ed Dawson | |
| 1995 | In the Living Years | Mike Donahue | |
| 1995 | Hidden Assassin | Alex Reed | |
| 1996 | For Which He Stands | District Attorney | |
| 1996 | Fast Money | Lt. Diego | |
| 1998 | Meet the Deedles | Captain Douglas Pine | |
| 1998 | My Uncle Sidney | Uncle Sidney | Short |
| 1999 | Instinct | Guard Dacks | |
| 1999 | Avalanche | Kemp | AKA Escape from Alaska |
| 2001 | Bill's Gun Shop | Bill Voight | |
| 2006 | Sweet Deadly Dreams | Harry | |
| 2007 | Gone Baby Gone | Detective Nick Poole | |
| 2009 | Middle Men | Morgan | |
| 2015 | Uncle John | John | |
| 2016 | The Neighborhood | Matt Kravinsky | |
| 2018 | The Joke Thief | Joseph Rogers (Reporter) | |
| 2019 | The Last Big Save | Joseph Bird Sr. | |
| 2019 | Making a Deal with the Devil | FBI Director | |
| 2019 | My Little Baby | Sheriff Johnson | |
| 2019 | American Christmas | Rob | |
| 2019 | Once Upon a River | Smoke | |
| 2020 | Death in Texas | Asher | |
| 2024 | Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F | Chief John Taggart | |
| 2024 | All Happy Families | Roy Landry | |
| TBA | Hot Bath an' a Stiff Drink 2 | Judge Nathan Rivers | Completed; posthumous release |
| TBA | Hot Bath, Stiff Drink, an' a Close Shave | Judge Nathan Rivers | Post-production; posthumous release |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1974 | Kojak | Cullen | Episode: "Mojo" |
| 1974 | Emergency! | Station Wagon Driver | Episode: "Gossip" Uncredited |
| 1974 | Columbo | Calvin MacGruder | Episode: "Negative Reaction" |
| 1975 | My Father's House | Sergeant | Television film |
| 1976 | Phyllis | Taxpayer | Episode: "You're Not Getting Better, Just Older" |
| 1976 | Police Story | Sgt. Paulson | Episode: "The other Side of the Badge" |
| 1976 | Barnaby Jones | Lester Shiller | Episode: "Fraternity of Thieves" |
| 1977 | Police Woman | Curt Thomas | Episode: "Once a Snitch" |
| 1977 | Wonder Woman | Nazi Henchman (uncredited) | Episode: "Formula 407" |
| 1977 | Code R | Karl | Episode: "A Federal Case" |
| 1977 | The Rhinemann Exchange | Ballentyne | Miniseries |
| 1977 | M*A*S*H | The M.P. | Episode: "Last Laugh" |
| 1977 | Starsky & Hutch | Paul H. Willits | Episode: "The Committee" |
| 1978 | The Wilds of Ten Thousand Islands | Orville | Television film |
| 1978 | Starsky & Hutch | Roy Sears | Episode: "The Groupie" |
| 1978 | Lawman Without a Gun | 1st State Trooper | Television film |
| 1978 | Carter Country | Guardsman #1 | Episode: "Hurricane Jasper" |
| 1978–1979 | Dallas | Willie Joe Garr | Recurring role (6 episodes) |
| 1980–1981 | Breaking Away | Roy | Episodes: "The Cutters", "La Strada" |
| 1981 | Elvis and the Beauty Queen | Jake | Television film |
| 1982 | Police Squad! | Rocky | Episode: "Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood)" |
| 1985 | The A-Team | Cactus Jack Slater | Episode: "Cup A' Joe" |
| 1985 | A Death in California | Detective Bob Swalwell | Miniseries |
| 1985 | The Twilight Zone | Crew Chief Brady Simmons (segment "Chameleon") | Episode: "Wordplay/Dreams for Sale/Chameleon" |
| 1986 | The Deliberate Stranger | Detective Roger Dunn | Miniseries |
| 1986 | Hardcastle and McCormick | Leonard Porter | Episode: "A Chip Off the Ol' Milt" |
| 1986 | Brothers | Agent Harris | Episode: "The Gang Who Could Shoot Straight" |
| 1989 | I Know My First Name Is Steven | Del Stayner | Miniseries |
| 1989–1990 | Hardball | Charlie Battles | Main role (18 episodes) |
| 1990 | The Tracey Ullman Show | Jimmy, neighborly doorman | Episode: "Who Is He?" |
| 1991 | Love, Lies and Murder | Carrothers | Miniseries |
| 1991 | Saturday's | George | Television film |
| 1992 | Dirty Work | Eddie | Television film |
| 1993 | The Tommyknockers | Trooper Butch Dugan | Miniseries |
| 1996 | JAG | Agent Brian Turque | Episode: "Skeleton Crew" |
| 1997 | Little Girls in Pretty Boxes | Peter Bryant | Television film |
| 1998 | The Day Lincoln Was Shot | Ulysses S. Grant | Television film |
| 1998 | King of the Hill | Instructor | Voice, episode: "Pregnant Paws" |
| 1999 | Fantasy Island | Bobby | Episode: "Heroes" |
| 2001 | Judging Amy | Dashiel Purdue | Episode: "Everybody Falls Down" |
| 2001 | Going to California | Victor | Episode: "Apocalypse Cow" |
| 2002 | Body & Soul | Jordan Meadows | Episode: "Saviors" |
| 2003 | Family | Martin | Miniseries |
| 2005 | Jane Doe: Til Death Do Us Part | Richie Parsons | Television film |
| 2007 | Reign of the Gargoyles | Commander Latham | Television film |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Chief of Detectives | Episode: "Baggage" |
| 2011 | Fairly Legal | Lou Fisher | Episode: "Bo Me Once" |
| 2012 | The Finder | Franklin Sherman | Episode: "The Boy with the Bucket" |