John Ashton
Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA — Feb 22 1948• Died Sep 26 2024
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Biography
John David Ashton (February 22, 1948 – September 26, 2024) was an American actor best known for his role as Sergeant John Taggart in the hit action-comedy films Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2025) where he played alongside Eddie Murphy. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Ashton developed a passion for acting early in life, later attending the University of Southern California's School of Theatre. Beyond his iconic role in the Beverly Hills Cop series, Ashton appeared in a wide range of films and TV…
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John Ashton's Credits
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Alan Fewkes
JAG
Brian Turque
Columbo
Calvin MacGruder
The A-Team
Cactus Jack Slater
King of the Hill
Instructor (voice)
Dallas
Willie Joe Garr
M*A*S*H
Judging Amy
Dashiel Purdue
Starsky & Hutch
The Twilight Zone
Chief Brady Simmons (segment "Chameleon")
A Touch of Frost
Kojak
Cullen
Police Story
The Finder
Franklin Sherman
Fairly Legal
Lou Fisher
Fantasy Island
Bobby
Code R
Karl
Hardball
Charlie Battles
Police Squad!
Beverly Hills Cop
Sgt. Taggart
Gone Baby Gone
Nick Poole
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Chief John Taggart
Beverly Hills Cop II
John Taggart
The Tommyknockers
Butch Duggan
I Know My First Name Is Steven
Del Stayner
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Highway Patrolman
Midnight Run
Marvin Dorfler, Headhunter
Instinct
Guard Dacks
A Death in California
Bob Swalwell
Middle Men
Morgan
BRATS
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
King Kong Lives
Lt. Col. R.T. Nevitt
Trapped in Paradise
Ed Dawson
Curly Sue
Frank Arnold
Love, Lies and Murder
Carrothers
Borderline
Charlie Monroe
Breaking Away
Mike's Brother
Little Big League
Mac MacNally
The Deliberate Stranger
Det. Roger Dunn
Oh, God!
Police Officer (uncredited)
Some Kind of Wonderful
Cliff Nelson
She's Having a Baby
Ken
The Shooter
Alex Reed
Last Resort
Phil Cocoran
The Day Lincoln Was Shot
Ulysses S. Grant
Meet the Deedles
Capt. Douglas Pine
Honky Tonk Freeway
Otto Kemper
I Want to Go Home
Harry Dempsey
Fast Money
Lt. Diego
Psycho Sisters
Brock
The Deliberate Stranger
Det. Roger Dunn
American Christmas
Rob
Uncle John
Uncle John
Elvis and the Beauty Queen
Jake
Death in Texas
Asher
Dirty Work
Eddie Ryan
Escape from Alaska
Kemp
The Joke Thief
Joseph Rogers
Making a Deal with the Devil
FBI Director
Little Girls in Pretty Boxes
Peter Bryant
The Last Big Save
Joseph Bird Sr.
Reign of the Gargoyles
Commander Latham
All Happy Families
Roy Landry
Lawman Without a Gun
1st State Trooper
For Which He Stands
District Attorney
Hot Bath an' a Stiff Drink 2
Judge Nathan Rivers
Condition Red
Deputy Warden
Lonesome Soldier
Macroberts
An Eye for an Eye
Sgt. Matthews
My Father's House
Sergeant
Once Upon a River
Bill's Gun Shop
Bill Voight
The Wilds of Ten Thousand Islands
Orville
Cat Murkil and the Silks
Coach Larkin
A Letter to Dad
Mike Donahue
Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link
Cash Hunt