John Ashton, known for his role as John Taggart in the “Beverly Hills Cop” films, died Thursday in Fort Collins, Colorado, a representative confirmed to NBC News. He was 76.
Ashton played Detective Sergeant John Taggart in the first two installments of the “Beverly Hills Cop” series, alongside Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold. He reprised his role in 2024’s “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” in which his character is now a police chief.
Ashton was born on Feb. 22, 1948, in Springfield, Massachusetts, to Edward Richard Ashton, Sr. and Eva May (Wells) Ashton. He was raised in Enfield, Connecticut, where he graduated from Enfield High School. After attending Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio, for two years, he transferred to the University of Southern California and graduated with a BA in theater arts.
Ashton portrayed Cliff Nelson, father of Eric Stoltz’s Keith Nelson, in the 1987 teen rom-com “Some Kind of Wonderful,” written and produced by John Hughes. He worked with Hughes again on the 1988 rom-com “She’s Having a Baby,” starring Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern.
In the 1988 action-comedy “Midnight Run,” Ashton played a rival bounty hunter to Robert De Niro’s Jack Walsh. He also had a supporting role in the Ben Affleck-directed 2007 thriller, “Gone Baby Gone.” Additional film credits include “I Want to Go Home” (1989), “Little Big League” (1984), “Trapped in Paradise” (1994), “In the Living Years” (1994), “Hidden Assassin” (1995), “For Which He Stands” (1996), “Fast Money” (1996), “Meet the Deedles” (1998), “Instinct” (1999), “Sweet Deadly Dreams” (2006), “Middle Men” (2009) and “Uncle John” (2015).
Ashton is survived by his wife of 24 years, Robin Hoye, and his children and step-children, Michelle Ashton, Michael Thomas, Courtney Donovan, Lindsay Curcio and Ashley Hoye.