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John Ashton

Highest Rated: 95% Breaking Away (1979)

Lowest Rated: 8% King Kong Lives (1986)

Birthday: Feb 22, 1948

Birthplace: Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

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).

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Highest rated movies

95% 88% Breaking Away
Watchlist
95% 87% Midnight Run
Watchlist
94% 86% Gone Baby Gone
Watchlist
87% All Happy Families Watchlist
85% 67% Uncle John
Watchlist
82% 82% Beverly Hills Cop Watchlist 76% 80% Some Kind of Wonderful Watchlist 75% Once Upon a River Watchlist 67% 76% Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Watchlist 49% 58% Beverly Hills Cop II Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
67% 76% Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F John Taggart (Character) - 2024
87% No Score Yet All Happy Families Roy Landry (Character) - 2023
No Score Yet 97% Lonesome Soldier Macroberts (Character) - 2023
22% 72% 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 20% 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 57% The Neighborhood Matt Krivinsky (Character) - 2017
85% 67% Uncle John John (Character) - 2015
No Score Yet 20% Reign of the Gargoyles Commander Latham (Character) - 2007
94% 86% 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% 67% Instinct Guard Decks (Character) $34.1M 1999
No Score Yet 7% Avalanche Kemp (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet 54% The Day Lincoln Was Shot Gen. Ulysses Simpson Grant (Character) - 1998
10% 38% Meet the Deedles Captain Douglas (Character) $4.4M 1998
No Score Yet 27% 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 60% Condition Red Deputy Warden (Character) - 1995
No Score Yet 24% Hidden Assassin Alex Reed (Character) - 1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet In the Living Years Mike Donahue (Character) - 1994
10% 42% Trapped in Paradise Ed Dawson (Character) $5.8M 1994
35% 54% 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% 39% The Tommyknockers Unknown (Character) - 1993
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dirty Work Eddie (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet 39% I Want to Go Home Harry Dempsey (Character) - 1989
95% 87% Midnight Run Marvin Dorfler (Character) $36.3M 1988
76% 80% Some Kind of Wonderful Cliff Nelson (Character) $17.1M 1987
49% 58% Beverly Hills Cop II Det. Sgt. John Taggart (Character) $151.7M 1987
No Score Yet 15% Last Resort Phil Cocoran (Character) - 1986
8% 17% King Kong Lives Lt. Col. R.T. Nevitt (Character) $4.3M 1986
82% 82% Beverly Hills Cop Det. Sgt. John Taggart (Character) - 1984
No Score Yet 39% Borderline Charlie Monroe (Character) - 1980
95% 88% 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