Linden Ashby


Actor

About

Also Known As
Clarence Linden Garnett Ashby Iii
Birth Place
Atlantic Beach, Florida, USA
Born
May 23, 1960

Biography

A handsome blond leading man of TV and films, Ashby spent many years making sporadic appearances in films and on TV before clicking with the Hollywood powers thanks to his role as Morgan Earp, the younger brother of the titular "Wyatt Earp" (1994), directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring Kevin Costner. The Florida native dropped out of college and moved to NYC to pursue acting. After st...

Family & Companions

Susan Walters
Wife
Actor. Married in April 1986; mother of Savannah and Grace; born c. 1964.

Biography

A handsome blond leading man of TV and films, Ashby spent many years making sporadic appearances in films and on TV before clicking with the Hollywood powers thanks to his role as Morgan Earp, the younger brother of the titular "Wyatt Earp" (1994), directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring Kevin Costner. The Florida native dropped out of college and moved to NYC to pursue acting. After studies at the Neighborhood Playhouse, the young actor got his first break playing the nefarious Curtis Alden on the ABC soap opera "Loving" in its initial two seasons (1983-85). Ashby was fired from the soap for what he claims was his penchant for arguing with the producers and writers about his character. (He later amended his remarks and conceded that he may have brought it on himself by his bad attitude.)

Relocating to the West Coast, Ashby made his first foray into Hollywood as a victim of "Werewolf" (Fox, 1987) in the series pilot. Later that same year, he played the adult Lance Reventlow, doomed son of Barbara Hutton (Farrah Fawcett), in the NBC miniseries "Poor Little Rich Girl." But it took several years before he began to land leading roles in telefilms. Ashby was a man about to marry a murderer in "The Perfect Bride" (USA Network, 1991) and played Stacy Keach's son, who was involved in a computer chip war, in "New Year" (ABC, 1993). He found the occasional film role, like his supporting turn in "8 Seconds" (1994) and his lead in the surprise hit "Mortal Kombat" (1995), but television has provided more opportunities. Although he portrayed the abusive first husband of Daphne Zuniga's Jo Reynolds on Fox's primetime soap "Melrose Place" in 1992, Ashby did not land a regular role on a primetime series until 1997's short-lived "Spy Game" (ABC). Ironically, he finally found a degree of TV stardom in 1997 when he joined the cast of "Melrose Place" in the regular role of the scheming Dr. Brett Cooper.

Life Events

1983

Played Curtis Alden on the ABC soap opera "Loving"; fired in 1985 for having a bad attitude

1987

Made episodic TV debut in pilot for the Fox drama "Werewolf"

1987

TV miniseries debut, "Poor Little Rich Girl" (NBC)

1987

Moved to Los Angeles

1990

Had early film role in "Night Angel"

1992

Appeared as the abusive ex-husand of Jo Reynolds (Daphne Zuniga) in several episodes of Fox's "Melrose Place"

1994

Breakthrough film role as Morgan Earp in Lawrence Kasdan's "Wyatt Earp"

1995

Had leading role in the feature "Mortal Kombat"

1997

Starred as Lorne Cash in the short-lived ABC series "Spy Game"

2000

Starred in the USA sitcom "The War Nest Door"

Family

Garnett Ashby
Father
Pharmaceuticals manufacturer.
Eleanor Ashby
Mother
Civic organizer.
Grace Ashby
Daughter
Born c. 1991.
Savannah Ashby
Daughter
Born c. 1993.

Companions

Susan Walters
Wife
Actor. Married in April 1986; mother of Savannah and Grace; born c. 1964.

Bibliography