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IMDbPro

John Ashton(1948-2024)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
John Ashton
The first official trailer for Lonesome Soldier
Play trailer1:30
Lonesome Soldier (2023)
19 Videos
59 Photos
John has appeared in over 200 stage, film, and television productions throughout his more than 50 year illustrious career. His first professional acting role was in the premier production of "Othello" at the Hartford Stage Company at a young age. He then went on to perform in summer stock on Cape Cod, MA, starring in "Dark at the Top of the Stairs" and "The Gazebo". Within a few years he was touring Europe with the USA Festival Theater Tour performing in Germany, Cambridge, London, and the prestigious Edinburgh Arts Festival in Scotland, performing in 15 different productions in repertory. While a member of the Company of Angels in Los Angeles, CA, he received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for his performance as Camille in the production of "A Flea in Her Ear, and also for the ensemble of "The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia" at the Coronet Theater. He later won the award for his critically acclaimed performance as Lee in Sam Shepard's "True West", with Ed Harris at the South Coast Repertory Theater in Costa Mesa, CA.

John branched out into television and motion pictures and performed guest starring roles in many hit television series such as "Kojak", "Columbo", "Police Story", "Police Squad", "Law and Order: SVU", and a recurring role as Willie Joe Garr in the hit series "Dallas". He also starred in the mini-series "A Death in California", "Love , Lies, and Murder", "The Tommyknockers". and the critically-acclaimed "I Know My First Name is Steven". He later starred in the series "Hardball" as Charlie Battles, for NBC.

John's numerous film credits include the award-winning "Breaking Away", "Some Kind of Wonderful", "She's Having a Baby", and "Little Big League", and "Instinct" with Sir Anthony Hopkins. His most well known, critically-acclaimed, hit films are "Beverly Hills Cop", I and II, as Sgt. John Taggart, with Eddie Murphy, and "Midnight Run", as Marvin Dorfler, with Robert DeNiro. For his critically-acclaimed film, "Once Upon a River", he received the LA Method Fest award for Best Supporting Actor.

John received his BA degree in Theater Arts from the University of Southern California, and proudly worked in the profession he loved to the end of his life. His motto, taken from his high school drama teacher, is "Think Big, Work Hard, Have a Dream, and Make a Difference" !!.
BornFebruary 22, 1948
DiedSeptember 26, 2024(76)
BornFebruary 22, 1948
DiedSeptember 26, 2024(76)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 win & 1 nomination total

Photos59

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+ 54
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Known for

Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
6.4
  • Chief John Taggart
  • 2024
Capturing Authenticity: Casting 'Gone Baby Gone' (2008)
Capturing Authenticity: Casting 'Gone Baby Gone'
6.4
Video
  • Self
  • 2008
Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin in Midnight Run (1988)
Midnight Run
7.5
  • Marvin Dorfler
  • 1988
Mary Stuart Masterson, Eric Stoltz, and Lea Thompson in Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
Some Kind of Wonderful
7.0
  • Cliff Nelson
  • 1987

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor



  • Hot Bath, Stiff Drink, an' a Close Shave
    • Judge Nathan Rivers
    • Post-production
  • Hot Bath an' a Stiff Drink 2
    • Judge Nathan Rivers
    • Completed



  • Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)
    Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
    6.4
    • Chief John Taggart
    • 2024
  • Lonesome Soldier (2023)
    Lonesome Soldier
    6.0
    • Macroberts
    • 2023
  • John Ashton, Becky Ann Baker, Rob Huebel, Josh Radnor, and Chandra Russell in All Happy Families (2023)
    All Happy Families
    5.9
    • Roy Landry
    • 2023
  • Bruce Dern, Lara Flynn Boyle, Stephen Lang, and Ronnie Gene Blevins in Death in Texas (2020)
    Death in Texas
    5.6
    • Asher
    • 2020
  • Robert Carradine, Tara Reid, and John Ashton in American Christmas (2019)
    American Christmas
    3.5
    • Rob
    • 2019
  • My Little Baby (2019)
    My Little Baby
    4.4
    • Sheriff Jackson
    • 2019
  • Making a Deal with the Devil (2019)
    Making a Deal with the Devil
    4.1
    • FBI Director
    • 2019
  • The Last Big Save (2019)
    The Last Big Save
    3.0
    • Joseph Bird Sr.
    • 2019
  • Kenadi DelaCerna in Once Upon a River (2019)
    Once Upon a River
    5.8
    • Smoke
    • 2019
  • The Joke Thief (2018)
    The Joke Thief
    6.4
    • Joseph Rogers (Reporter)
    • 2018
  • The Neighborhood (2017)
    The Neighborhood
    7.5
    • Matt Krivinsky
    • 2017
  • Uncle John (2015)
    Uncle John
    6.2
    • John
    • 2015
  • The Finder (2012)
    The Finder
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Franklin Sherman
    • 2012
  • Sarah Shahi in Fairly Legal (2011)
    Fairly Legal
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Lou Fisher
    • 2011
  • Giovanni Ribisi, James Caan, and Luke Wilson in Middle Men (2009)
    Middle Men
    6.8
    • Morgan
    • 2009

Soundtrack



  • Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
    Beverly Hills Cop II: The Phenomenon Continues
    7.0
    Video
    • Soundtrack ("Spanish Flea", uncredited)
    • 2002
  • Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
    Beverly Hills Cop II
    6.6
    • Soundtrack ("Spanish Flea")
    • 1987

Videos19

Official Trailer
Trailer 1:42
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:32
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:32
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:15
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:46
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:57
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:08
Official Trailer

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Facebook Fan Page
    • Official Site
  • Alternative names
    • John D. Ashton
  • Height
    • 5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
  • Born
    • February 22, 1948
    • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
  • Died
    • September 26, 2024
    • Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA(cancer)
  • Spouses
      Robin Jean Hoye2000 - September 26, 2024 (his death)
  • Children
      Michelle Ashton
  • Parents
      Eva May Wells Ashton
  • Relatives
      Henry(Grandchild)
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared in "The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia", Company of Angels and Coronet Playhouse, Hollywood, CA. NOTE: He won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Interview
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Classmates at University of Southern California included John Ritter, Jack Bender.
  • Quotes
    Think big, work hard, and have a dream
  • Trademark
      Tough, Gruff, No-Nonsense Characters
  • Nickname
    • Jodad

FAQ16

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  • How old was John Ashton when he died?

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