Joseph Ashton (actor)

Joseph Ashton Valencia (born November 18, 1986) is an American former actor.

Joseph Ashton
Born
Joseph Ashton Valencia

(1986-11-18) November 18, 1986
Cherokee, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1994–2004
Relatives

Career

Ashton first appeared before the camera as an infant in a national McDonald's commercial and has worked steadily ever since. He had a regular role on the CBS drama L.A. Doctors.[1] His guest-starring roles on television series include ER,[2] Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Walker, Texas Ranger, Martial Law, Cracker and Smart Guy. He appeared in Asylum as Young Tordone on HBO,[2] and the NBC mini series Blind Faith.

Ashton's film debut was in the 1994 remake of The Little Rascals.[2] He notably starred in the title role of the 1997 film, The Education of Little Tree, a well-reviewed low-budget film about a 1930s-era boy discovering his Native American heritage. He earned a Young Artist Award for Best Performance In A Feature Film for the movie.[3] Roger Ebert, in his review said "Ashton, as Little Tree, is another of those young actors who is fresh and natural on camera; I believed in his character."[4] The Boston Phoenix lauded him as "adorable and energetic."

Ashton starred as 'Sonny', in Slappy and the Stinkers and won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Ensemble Performance in a feature film.[5] He also appeared in the 2003 remake of Where the Red Fern Grows, playing the main character, Billy Coleman.[6]

Ashton is the English language voice of Oswald "Otto" Rocket on Nickelodeon's Rocket Power cartoon series.[7][8] He reprised his role as the voice of Otto Rocket in the television movie Rocket Power: Race Across New Zealand for Nickelodeon. Ashton has lent his voice to other animated projects including Hey Arnold, Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? and the animated films Babes in Toyland and Tarzan. Other voice work includes recording an audio book for Christian Day Parenting.

Filmography
Feature Films
YearMovieRole
1994The Little RascalsRascal
1997 The Education of Little TreeLittle Tree
Young Artist Award
Babes in Toyland[2]Jack (voice)
1998Slappy and the StinkersSonny
Young Artist Award
1999 Tarzan[1]Ape Boy (voice)
Fallout[9]Ethan McCord
2003Where the Red Fern GrowsBilly Coleman

Television
TV Series & TV Movies
YearTitleRoleNotes
1996Dr. Quinn Medicine WomanLooks For The Sun"Hearts and Minds"
1997 Walker, Texas RangerNicholas Matacio"A Father's Image"
Smart GuyEldinSeason 1, Episode 1 (Pilot)
AsylumYoung Nicholas TordoneHBO film
1998Cracker: Mind Over MurderJamie Ramos"If" (part 1 and 2)
1998–1999L.A. DoctorsNick Newman9 episodes
1998–2002Hey Arnold!Iggy (voice)2 episodes
1999Martial LawSean Nolan"Substitutes"
1999–2004Rocket PowerOswald "Otto" Rocket (voice)4 Seasons
2001ERJeremy Norris"If I Should Fall From Grace"
2002Rocket Power: Race Across New ZealandOswald "Otto" Rocket (voice)TV movie
2004Rocket Power: Island of the MenehuneOswald "Otto" Rocket (voice)TV movie

Personal life

Ashton was born in California; both of his parents have Cherokee ancestors.[10] He is a graduate of the University of La Verne, where he majored in TV and radio broadcasting.[11]

References
  1. "Joseph Ashton". BFI.
  2. "Joseph Ashton". Rotten Tomatoes.
  3. "Nineteenth Annual Youth in Film Awards 1996-1997". Archived from the original on August 10, 2002. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  4. Ebert, Roger (January 20, 1998). "The Education of Little Tree".
  5. Richardson, Elaine (February 6, 1998). "`Stinkers' is a Bad Joke Even For Kids". Chicago Tribune.
  6. Spencer, Hawes (April 17, 2003). "Dave's debut: Red Fern to premiere at Tribeca". The Hook. Archived from the original on October 12, 2015.
  7. Perlmutter, David (2014). America Toons In: A History of Television Animation. McFarland. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-4766-1488-5.
  8. "Down The Drain (Klasky-Csupo)". The Big Cartoon DataBase.
  9. "Fallout (1999)". The Movie Scene.
  10. Taylor, Melanie Benson (2011). Reconstructing the Native South: American Indian Literature and the Lost Cause. University of Georgia Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-8203-4066-1.
  11. McAdams, Taylor (July 15, 2019). "The Little Rascals Child Actors Are Nothing Like What We Expected". Noteabley.
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