NEW YORK — John Ashton, the veteran actor who memorably played gruff but lovable police detective John Taggart in the “Beverly Hills Cop” films, has died. He was 76.
Ashton died Thursday in Fort Collins, Colorado, his family announced in a statement released by Ashton’s manager, Alan Somers, on Sunday. No cause of death was immediately available.
In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Ashton was a regular face in television shows and movies, including “Midnight Run,” “Little Big League” and “Gone Baby Gone.”
But in the “Beverly Hills Cop” films, Ashton played an important part of an indelible trio. Although Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley, a Detroit detective following a case in Los Angeles, was the main character, the two local detectives—Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Ashton’s Taggart—were Axel’s sometimes reluctant, sometimes eager collaborators.
Of the three, Taggart – “Sarge” to Billy – was the more fearful, reserved detective. But he would regularly be tricked into Axel’s plans. Ashton appeared in all four films, starting with the 1984 original and running through the Netflix reboot, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” which was released earlier this year.
Ashton played a more unscrupulous character in Martin Brest’s 1988 buddy comedy “Midnight Run.” He was the rival bounty hunter who also stalked Charles Grodin’s wanted accountant in “The Duke” while in the custody of Robert De Niro’s Jack Walsh.
Speaking to Collider in July, Ashton recalled auditioning with De Niro.
“Bobby started giving me these matches, and I went to get the matches, and he threw them on the floor and stared at me,” Ashton said. “I looked at the matches, and I looked up and I said, ‘F—- you,’ and he said, ‘F—- you too.’ I said, “Go—by yourself.” I know all the other actors picked them up and handed them to him, and I found out as soon as I left that he said, “I want him,” because he wanted someone to stand up to him.”
Ashton is survived by his wife of 24 years, Robin Hoye, two children, three stepchildren, a grandson, two sisters and a brother.
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