John Ashton (actor)
 |
John Ashton | |
|---|---|
 Ashton in 2006 | |
| Born | John David Ashton February 22, 1948 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Spouse(s) | Victoria Marie Runn (1968-1970; divorced) Bridget Alison Baker (1976-2001; divorced) |
| Children | 2 |
John David Ashton (born February 22, 1948) is an American actor, known for his roles in the films Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop II, and Midnight Run.
Life and career
Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Ashton attended Defiance College in Ohio and is a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Theatre.[1] He attended Enfield High School in Enfield, Connecticut.
Ashton has 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 also starred as Detective Sergeant John Taggart in the first two installments of the Beverly Hills Cop trilogy, 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 the following year. In 1988, he co-starred in the action-comedy Midnight Run as a rival bounty hunter to Robert De Niro's character. He also 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 also played the role of Cactus Jack Slater in an episode of the 80s TV show The A-Team titled "Cup A Joe".
Ashton has 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.[2] He guest-starred opposite Beverly Hills Cop co-star Ronny Cox in an episode of Matthew Perry's 2011 series, Mr Sunshine.[2]
Personal life
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. Ashton has two children, one by each of his ex-wives. He currently resides in Fort Collins, Colorado, and is co-host of the Ashton and Davis Show on 870 ESPN radio.
Partial Filmography
 |
- My Little Baby (2017) as Sheriff Johnson
- The Neighborhood (2017) as Matt Kravinsky
- Uncle John (2015) as John
- A Letter to Dad (2009) as Mike
- Middle Men (2009) as Morgan
- Gone Baby Gone (2007) as Detective Nick Poole
- Reign of the Gargoyles (TV - 2007) as Commander Latham
- Sweet Deadly Dreams (2006) as Harry
- Jane Doe: Til Death Do Us Part (TV - 2005) as Richie Parsons
- Family (TV Mini Series - 2003) as Martin
- Bill's Gun Shop (2001) as Bill Voight
- Avalanche aka Escape from Alaska (1999) as Kemp
- The Day Lincoln Was Shot (TV - 1998) as Gen. Ulysses Simpson Grant
- Meet the Deedles (1998) as Capt. Douglas Pine
- Little Girls in Pretty Boxes (TV - 1997) as Peter Bryant
- Fast Money (1996) as Lt. Diego
- For Which He Stands (1996) as District Attorney
- Hidden Assassin (1995) as Alex Reed
- In the Living Years (1995) as Mike Donahue
- Trapped in Paradise (1994) as Ed Dawson
- Little Big League (1994) as Mac Macnally
- Dirty Work (TV - 1992) as Eddie
- Saturday's (TV - 1991) as George
- Curly Sue (1991) as Frank Arnold
- I Want to Go Home (1989) as Harry Dempsey
- Midnight Run (1988) as Marvin Dorfler
- She's Having a Baby (1988) as Ken
- Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) as John Taggart
- Some kind of Wonderful (1987) as Cliff Nelson
- King Kong Lives (1986) as Lt. Col. R. T. Nevitt
- The Deliberate Stranger (TV - 1986) as Det. Roger Dunn
- Last Resort (1986) as Phil Cocorun
- The A-Team (TV - 1985) as Cactus Jack Slater
- Beverly Hills Cop (1984) as Sgt. Taggart
- The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) as Highway Patrolman
- Honky Tonk Freeway (1981) as Otto Kemper
- Elvis and the Beauty Queen (TV - 1981) as Jake
- Borderline (1980) as Border Patrol Agent Charlie Monroe
- Breaking Away (1980) as Mike's Brother
- Lawman Without a Gun (1978) as 1st State Trooper
- The Wilds of Ten Thousand Islands (TV - 1978) as Orville
- Oh, God! (1977) as Police Officer
- Cat Murkil and the Silks (1976) as Coach Larkin
- "M.A.S.H" (1977)"Last Laugh" as an MP tasked to arrest B.J.
- My Father's House (TV - 1975) as Sergeant
- So Evil, My Sister (1974) as Brock
- An Eye for an Eye (1973) as Sgt. Matthews
References
- ^ Buchanan, Jason. "John Ashton film biography". AllRovi. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "The Official Website of the Actor". American Actor John Ashton. July 14, 2014. Archived from the original on 2011-03-06.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
