John Ashton
A burly, mustachioed character actor frequently cast as law enforcement agents or villainous heavies, John Ashton began his acting career on the L.A. stage in the early 1970s after graduating from USC. The New Englander entered films as a police sergeant in "Psychopath" (1973) and went on to be cast as law enforcement agents in such efforts as "Breaking Away" (1979, as Dennis Quaid's older brother), "Borderline" (1980) and the cult favorite "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension" (1984). But it was his role as L.A. Police Sergeant John Taggart, opposite Eddie Murphy, in the action comedy "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984) and its 1987 sequel that made Ashton a recognizable face. He began landing better roles, like the bounty hunter chasing Charles Grodin and Robert De Niro in "Midnight Run" (1988) and as Eric Stoltz's college-obsessed father in "Some Kind of Wonderful" (1987). Among his more recent roles were the pitching coach in the children's baseball sleeper "Little Big League" and as part of the ensemble of fine actors peopling "the friendliest town in the world" in the uneven seasonal comedy "Trapped in Paradise" (both 1994).
Photos
John Ashton
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
67% |
|
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F | John Taggart (Character) | - | 2024 |
87% | No Score Yet | All Happy Families | Roy Landry (Character) | - | 2023 |
No Score Yet |
|
Lonesome Soldier | Macroberts (Character) | - | 2023 |
22% |
|
Death in Texas | Asher (Character) | - | 2020 |
75% | No Score Yet | Once Upon a River | Smoke (Character) | - | 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Last Big Save | Unknown (Character) | - | 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Making a Deal with the Devil | Unknown (Character) | - | 2019 |
No Score Yet |
|
American Christmas | Rob (Character) | - | 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hot Bath an' a Stiff Drink 2 | Judge Nathan Rivers (Character) | - | 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Joke Thief | Joseph Rogers (Character) | - | 2018 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Neighborhood | Matt Krivinsky (Character) | - | 2017 |
85% |
|
Uncle John | John (Character) | - | 2015 |
No Score Yet |
|
Reign of the Gargoyles | Commander Latham (Character) | - | 2007 |
94% |
|
Gone Baby Gone | Nick Poole (Character) | $20.3M | 2007 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Jane Doe: 'Til Death Do Us Part | Richie Parsons (Character) | - | 2005 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Bill's Gun Shop | Bill Voight (Character) | - | 2001 |
26% |
|
Instinct | Guard Decks (Character) | $34.1M | 1999 |
No Score Yet |
|
Avalanche | Kemp (Character) | - | 1999 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Day Lincoln Was Shot | Gen. Ulysses Simpson Grant (Character) | - | 1998 |
10% |
|
Meet the Deedles | Captain Douglas (Character) | $4.4M | 1998 |
No Score Yet |
|
Little Girls in Pretty Boxes | Peter Bryant (Character) | - | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | For Which He Stands | District Attorney (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Fast Money | Lt. Diego (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet |
|
Condition Red | Deputy Warden (Character) | - | 1995 |
No Score Yet |
|
Hidden Assassin | Alex Reed (Character) | - | 1995 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | In the Living Years | Mike Donahue (Character) | - | 1994 |
10% |
|
Trapped in Paradise | Ed Dawson (Character) | $5.8M | 1994 |
35% |
|
Little Big League | Mac Macnally (Character) | $12.1M | 1994 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Child's Cry for Help | Cal Warner (Character) | - | 1994 |
32% |
|
The Tommyknockers | Unknown (Character) | - | 1993 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Dirty Work | Eddie (Character) | - | 1992 |
No Score Yet |
|
I Want to Go Home | Harry Dempsey (Character) | - | 1989 |
95% |
|
Midnight Run | Marvin Dorfler (Character) | $36.3M | 1988 |
76% |
|
Some Kind of Wonderful | Cliff Nelson (Character) | $17.1M | 1987 |
49% |
|
Beverly Hills Cop II | Det. Sgt. John Taggart (Character) | $151.7M | 1987 |
No Score Yet |
|
Last Resort | Phil Cocoran (Character) | - | 1986 |
8% |
|
King Kong Lives | Lt. Col. R.T. Nevitt (Character) | $4.3M | 1986 |
82% |
|
Beverly Hills Cop | Det. Sgt. John Taggart (Character) | - | 1984 |
No Score Yet |
|
Borderline | Charlie Monroe (Character) | - | 1980 |
95% |
|
Breaking Away | Mike's Brother (Character) | - | 1979 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
57% | 82% | The Finder | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2012 |
78% | 83% | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Chief of Detectives (Guest Star) | 2009 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Judging Amy | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2001 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Fantasy Island | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1999 |
No Score Yet | 77% | King of the Hill | Instructor (Guest Voice) | 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | JAG | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1996 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Tracey Ullman Show | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1990 |
No Score Yet | 71% | The A-Team | Cactus Jack Slater (Guest Star) | 1985 |
90% | 93% | Police Squad! | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1982 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Dallas | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1978-1979 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Starsky and Hutch | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1977-1978 |
No Score Yet | 87% | M*A*S*H | The M.P. (Guest Star) | 1977 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Police Woman | Curt Thomas (Guest Star) | 1977 |