John Ashton was an actor best known for his work in “Some Kind of Wonderful” and the “Beverly Hills Cop” movies.
- Died: September 26, 2024 (Who else died on September 26?)
- Details of death: Died in Fort Collins, Colorado at the age of 76.
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John Ashton’s legacy
Springfield, Massachusetts-born John Ashton began his acting career on stage, performing the works of Shakespeare and moving on to repertory roles that took him from New England through Europe and beyond. He won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for “A Flea in Her Ear” before his 1973 screen debut, an episode of “An Eye for an Eye.” Episodes of “Kojak,” “Columbo,” “Wonder Woman,” “M*A*S*H,” “Dallas,” and other TV shows followed.
In 1984, he had what was arguably his best-known role when he played Sgt. Taggart in “Beverly Hills Cop” alongside Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold. It was a movie role he’d reprise throughout the rest of his career, including in July 2024’s “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.” He also played Cliff Nelson in the John Hughes-penned “Some Kind of Wonderful.” Other notable films featuring Ashton include the 1979 coming-of-age drama “Breaking Away, 1988’s “Midnight Run,” and the 2007 thriller “Gone Baby Gone.”
In 2015, he won Best Lead Actor at the Hell’s Half Mile Film and Music Festival for his work in “Uncle John.”
Tributes to John Ashton
Full obituary: The New York Times
