John Ashton
Acting
Born February 22, 1948 · Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
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 shows throughout his career. His notabl…
Known For · 40 titles
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
King of the Hill
Dallas
Columbo
JAG
The A-Team
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
M*A*S*H
Judging Amy
A Touch of Frost
Starsky & Hutch
The Twilight Zone
Today
Kojak
Police Story
Fairly Legal
The Finder
Beverly Hills Cop
Fantasy Island
Police Squad!
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Gone Baby Gone
Beverly Hills Cop II
Instinct
Hardball
The Tommyknockers
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
I Know My First Name Is Steven
Midnight Run
Some Kind of Wonderful
Code R
King Kong Lives
Curly Sue
She's Having a Baby
Love, Lies and Murder
Middle Men
Breaking Away
Borderline
Little Big League
The Deliberate Stranger