John Ashton, best known for his iconic role as Detective John Taggart in the Beverly Hills Cop film franchise, has died at the age of 76. The actor succumbed to cancer at his home in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Born on February 22, 1948, in Springfield, Massachusetts, Ashton’s acting career spanned decades. Ashton began his acting career with early film roles in An Eye for an Eye (1973), Breaking Away (1979), Borderline (1980), Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), and Last Resort and King Kong Lives, both released in 1986.
His TV career continued with roles in shows such as Phyllis, Police Story, Barnaby Jones, Police Woman, Wonder Woman, MASH, and Starsky & Hutch. In 1978, he landed a recurring role as Willie Joe Garr on Dallas, in which he appeared in six episodes. He quickly established himself as a versatile performer, appearing in several series such as Kojak, Emergency! and Columbo. His breakthrough role came in the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop, where he starred alongside Eddie Murphy.
Ashton reprised his role as Taggart in three of the four subsequent Beverly Hills Cop films, most recently appearing in the 2023 Netflix release, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. His other notable films include Some Kind of Wonderful, Midnight Run, and Little Big League.
In addition to his film work, Ashton also had a successful television career, playing recurring roles in series such as Phyllis, Police Story, and Hardball.
Ashton also had a regular role in the crime drama Hardball, which aired during the 1989-1990 TV season.
His many films include Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), Midnight Run (1988), I Want to Go Home (1989), Little Big League (1994), In the Living Years (1994), Hidden Assassin (1995), For Which He Stands (1996), Meet the Deedles (1998), Instinct (1999), Sweet Deadly Dreams (2006), Middle Men (2009) and Uncle John (2015).
Ashton is survived by his wife Robin Hoye, his children, stepchildren, and grandchildren.
Films and TV Shows :
| Title | Release Year | Role | IMDb Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F | 2024 | Chief John Taggart | 6.5 |
| Lonesome Soldier | 2023 | Macroberts | 5.7 |
| All Happy Families | 2023 | Roy Landry | 7.6 |
| Death in Texas | 2020 | Asher | 5.6 |
| American Christmas | 2019 | Rob | 3.6 |
| My Little Baby | 2019 | Sheriff Jackson | 5.1 |
| Making a Deal with the Devil | 2019 | FBI Director | 4.1 |
| The Last Big Save | 2019 | Joseph Bird Sr. | 3.0 |
| Once Upon a River | 2019 | Smoke | 5.8 |
| The Joke Thief | 2018 | Joseph Rogers (Reporter) | 6.5 |
| The Neighborhood | 2017 | Matt Krivinsky | 7.6 |
| Uncle John | 2015 | John | 6.2 |
| The Finder | 2012 | Franklin Sherman (TV Series) | 7.7 |
| Fairly Legal | 2011 | Lou Fisher (TV Series) | 7.3 |
| Middle Men | 2009 | Morgan | 6.8 |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | 2009 | Chief of Detectives (TV Series) | 8.1 |
| Gone Baby Gone | 2007 | Nick Poole | 7.6 |
| Reign of the Gargoyles | 2007 | Commander Latham (TV Movie) | 3.6 |
| Sweet Deadly Dreams | 2006 | Harry | 6.5 |
| Jane Doe: Til Death Do Us Part | 2005 | Richie Parsons (TV Movie) | 6.1 |
| Family | 2003 | Martin (TV Mini-Series) | 6.2 |
| Body & Soul | 2002 | Jordan Meadows (TV Series) | 3.1 |
| Bill’s Gun Shop | 2001 | Bill Voight | 4.7 |
| Going to California | 2001 | Victor (TV Series) | 7.5 |
| Judging Amy | 2001 | Dashiel Purdue (TV Series) | 7.0 |
| Avalanche | 1999 | Kemp | 4.3 |
| Instinct | 1999 | Guard Dacks | 6.5 |
| Fantasy Island | 1998 | Bobby (TV Series) | 6.3 |
| My Uncle Sidney | 1998 | Uncle Sidney (Short) | N/A |
| King of the Hill | 1998 | Instructor (voice, TV Series) | 7.5 |
| The Day Lincoln Was Shot | 1998 | Gen. Ulysses Simpson Grant | 7.0 |
| Meet the Deedles | 1998 | Capt. Douglas Pine | 4.1 |
| Brookside | 1987–1997 | DI Balfour/Detective Sergeant Anderson (TV Series) | 6.6 |
| Little Girls in Pretty Boxes | 1997 | Peter Bryant (TV Movie) | 5.6 |
| Fast Money | 1996 | Lt. Diego | 5.7 |
| JAG | 1996 | Agent Brian Turque (TV Series) | 6.7 |
| For Which He Stands | 1996 | District Attorney | 5.2 |
| EastEnders | 1995 | Mr. Corby (TV Series) | 4.7 |
| Hidden Assassin | 1995 | Alex Reed | 5.1 |
| In the Living Years | 1994 | Mike Donahue | 4.8 |
| Trapped in Paradise | 1994 | Ed Dawson | 5.9 |
| Little Big League | 1994 | Trooper Butch Duggan (TV Mini-Series) | 6.2 |
| The Tommyknockers | 1993 | Carrothers (TV Mini-Series) | 5.4 |
| Dirty Work | 1992 | Eddie (TV Movie) | 4.6 |
| Saturday’s | 1991 | George (TV Movie) | 7.5 |
| Curly Sue | 1991 | Frank Arnold (uncredited) | 5.9 |
| Love, Lies, and Murder | 1991 | Det. Roger Dunn (TV Mini-Series) | 7.0 |
| Hardball | 1989–1990 | Charlie Battles (TV Series) | 7.1 |
| The Tracey Ullman Show | 1990 | Jimmy, neighborly doorman (TV Series) | 7.1 |
| I Want to Go Home | 1989 | Harry Dempsey | 5.4 |
| I Know My First Name Is Steven | 1989 | Del Stayner (TV Mini-Series) | 7.7 |
| Midnight Run | 1988 | Marvin Dorfler | 7.5 |
| She’s Having a Baby | 1988 | Ken | 6.0 |
| Beverly Hills Cop II | 1987 | John Taggart | 6.6 |
| Some Kind of Wonderful | 1987 | Cliff Nelson | 7.0 |
| King Kong Lives | 1986 | Lt. Col. R.T. Nevitt | 3.9 |
| Brothers | 1986 | Agent Harris (TV Series) | 8.0 |
| Last Resort | 1986 | Phil Cocoran | 4.1 |
| The Deliberate Stranger | 1986 | Det. Roger Dunn (TV Mini-Series) | 7.3 |
| Hardcastle and McCormick | 1986 | Leonard Porter (TV Series) | 6.6 |
| The Twilight Zone | 1985 | Crew Chief Brady Simmons (TV Series) | 7.7 |
| A Death in California | 1985 | Det. Bob Swalwell (TV Mini-Series) | 6.3 |
| The A-Team | 1985 | Cactus Jack Slater (TV Series) | 7.5 |
| Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link | 1984 | Cash Hunt (Video) | 6.5 |
| Beverly Hills Cop | 1984 | Sgt. Taggart | 7.4 |
| The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension | 1984 | Highway Patrolman | 6.2 |
| Police Squad! | 1982 | Rocky (TV Series) | 8.4 |