John Ashton
"An iconic presence in cinema, defining characters with depth and intensity."
Age
78 years
Origin
USA
Active
1952 — Present
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...
History of the Legend
Witness the defining moments that shaped a legacy.
Columbo
Starring as Calvin MacGruder
Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.
Highest Rated Masterpieces
Columbo
as Calvin MacGruder
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
as Alan Fewkes
M*A*S*H
Cast Member
Police Squad!
Cast Member
The Twilight Zone
as Chief Brady Simmons (segment "Chameleon")
The A-Team
as Cactus Jack Slater
Starsky & Hutch
Cast Member
King of the Hill
as Instructor (voice)
Kojak
as Cullen
Gone Baby Gone
as Nick Poole
Media Proof
Filmography Engine
76 Credits found
All Happy Families
Roy Landry
2024
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Chief John Taggart
2024
BRATS
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2024
Lonesome Soldier
Macroberts
2023
Death in Texas
Asher
2022
American Christmas
Rob
2019
Making a Deal with the Devil
FBI Director
2019
The Last Big Save
Joseph Bird Sr.
2019
Once Upon a River
Cast
2019
The Joke Thief
Joseph Rogers
2018
Uncle John
Uncle John
2015
The Finder
Franklin Sherman
2012
Fairly Legal
Lou Fisher
2011
A Letter to Dad
Mike Donahue
2009
Middle Men
Morgan
2009
Gone Baby Gone
Nick Poole
2007
Reign of the Gargoyles
Commander Latham
2007
Bill's Gun Shop
Bill Voight
2001
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Alan Fewkes
1999
Judging Amy
Dashiel Purdue
1999
Escape from Alaska
Kemp
1999
Instinct
Guard Dacks
1999
Fantasy Island
Bobby
1998
The Day Lincoln Was Shot
Ulysses S. Grant
1998
Meet the Deedles
Capt. Douglas Pine
1998
Little Girls in Pretty Boxes
Peter Bryant
1997
King of the Hill
Instructor (voice)
1997
Fast Money
Lt. Diego
1996
For Which He Stands
District Attorney
1996
The Shooter
Alex Reed
1995
Condition Red
Deputy Warden
1995
JAG
Brian Turque
1995
Trapped in Paradise
Ed Dawson
1994
Little Big League
Mac MacNally
1994
The Tommyknockers
Butch Duggan
1993
A Touch of Frost
Ridley
1992
Dirty Work
Eddie Ryan
1992
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Cast
1992
Curly Sue
Frank Arnold (uncredited)
1991
Love, Lies and Murder
Carrothers
1991
I Want to Go Home
Harry Dempsey
1989
Hardball
Charlie Battles
1989
I Know My First Name Is Steven
Del Stayner
1989
Midnight Run
Marvin Dorfler
1988
She's Having a Baby
Ken
1988
Beverly Hills Cop II
John Taggart
1987
Some Kind of Wonderful
Cliff Nelson
1987
King Kong Lives
Lt. Col. R.T. Nevitt
1986
The Deliberate Stranger
Det. Roger Dunn
1986
The Deliberate Stranger
Det. Roger Dunn
1986
Last Resort
Phil Cocoran
1986
The Twilight Zone
Chief Brady Simmons (segment "Chameleon")
1985
A Death in California
Bob Swalwell
1985
Beverly Hills Cop
Sgt. Taggart
1984
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Highway Patrolman
1984
Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link
Cash Hunt
1984
The A-Team
Cactus Jack Slater
1983
Police Squad!
Cast
1982
Honky Tonk Freeway
Otto Kemper
1981
Elvis and the Beauty Queen
Jake
1981