The Original Cast of ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ Returns for a New Movie: Where Have They Been?
When it comes to movie reunions, few will elicit as much nostalgic laughter as the reunion for “Beverly Hills Cop: Alex F.”
The fourth installment in the franchise (streaming now on Netflix) comes 40 years after Eddie Murphy’s original debut and 30 years after the third film in the series.
But John Landis’ 1994 film, “Beverly Hills Cop 3,” was less successful at the box office than its predecessors and noticeably excluded some key actors, including John Ashton as the lovable but tough cop John Taggart and Paul Reiser as the affable detective Jeffrey Friedman.
This time around, the core “Cop” cast is back, with Taggart and Reiser, as well as Bronson Pinchot as art dealer Serge. Newcomers to Murphy’s camp, where humor meets chaos, include Taylour Paige as his daughter Jane, Kevin Bacon as Captain Grant and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as police officer Bobby Abbott.
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“We’ve done three ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ movies, but the third one is a little softer than the other two, and that’s because we don’t have all the characters from the original,” Murphy tells USA TODAY.
“We got John back as Taggart, Paul and Bronson. It took all the ingredients that were there in the first movie,” he says. “Everybody who was still alive – except Lisa Eilbacher (who played Axel’s detective girlfriend Jenny), who’s still alive – but everybody else, we brought them back. And it was so great to be back on set with them.”
We take a quick look at what some of the original “Cop” cast members have been up to over the decades:
Eddie Murphy
Murphy’s huge success with “Beverly Hills Cop” was followed by a series of films with mixed box-office results, including “The Golden Child” and “Another 48 Hrs.”
But in 1988, Murphy rediscovered his comedic side by teaming up with his friend Arsenio Hall for “Coming to America,” a project he would reprise in 2021’s “Coming 2 America.” He played several characters, a nod to his idol Peter Sellers, and would once again show off his chameleon skills in 1996’s “The Mad Professor.”
The 63-year-old’s resume is too long and varied to summarize. Suffice it to say that he’s recorded albums as a singer, created two classic stand-up shows (“Delirious” and “Raw”), made voice acting for a donkey cool (“Shrek”), won a Primetime Emmy for his return as host of “Saturday Night Live,” received the Mark Twain Prize for Humor and is the proud father of 10 children.
Judge Reinhold
Reinhold, 67, rose to fame as a sympathetic but confused cop in “Beverly Hills Cop,” which earned him a certain appeal among the neighbors that would later be claimed by actors like Jason Segel. While Reinhold tried to parlay that success into starring roles, his film “Inside Out” was a flop. Reinhold returned to his niche of supporting roles, both in the “Cop” sequels and in Tim Allen’s star-studded series “The Santa Clause.”
Many TV fans may know Reinhold best for his Emmy-nominated role on “Seinfeld” in 1994, in which he played a “talker” (someone who stands uncomfortably close to someone during a conversation) who develops an unnatural affection for Jerry’s parents.
John Ashton
Ashton, 76, was another working actor whose role in “Beverly Hills Cop” made him suddenly recognizable. Still, his bread and butter would remain his character roles in a long line of films and television series over the next few decades.
Although his most famous role outside of Taggart was as a rival bounty hunter in the cult classic “Midnight Run,” Ashton spent nearly 40 years, from 1974 to 2012, appearing in countless television series, including “Kojak,” “Wonder Woman,” “M*A*S*H,” “Dallas” and “Law & Order: SVU.”
Bronson Pinchot
Pinchot, 65, made his name shortly after graduating from Yale, a year before Cop came out, when he appeared in the Tom Cruise classic Risky Business. His portrayal of the flamboyant, loud-accented art dealer in Cop led to memorable appearances in films such as After Hours, True Romance and The First Wives Club.
Although he’s been largely out of the Tinseltown spotlight in recent decades, Pinchot has made a name for himself as an audiobook narrator, with more than 400 titles to his credit to date, ranging from Flannery O’Connor novels to “The Memoirs of General William T. Sherman.”
Paul Reiser
Paul Reiser, 68, is another actor who, before “Cop,” appeared in a now-classic film, 1982’s “Diner.” His success in Murphy’s cop comedy eventually led NBC to greenlight a sitcom co-created by Paul Reiser, “Mad About You” (1992 to 1999), in which he co-starred with Helen Hunt as his onscreen wife. While that series won numerous awards, 2011’s “The Paul Reiser Show” lasted only a few episodes.
Reiser is less known for his considerable musical talents. He co-wrote the theme song for “Mad About You” and has collaborated with singers such as Melissa Manchester. His early forays into music were ultimately unsuccessful, allowing him to turn to stand-up comedy.
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