Ashley Hamilton

Ashley George Hamilton (born September 30, 1974) is an American actor who made his debut in the 1993 film Beethoven's 2nd, and has since starred in films such as Lost in Africa, Off Key (2001), Lost Angeles (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), and Cats Dancing on Jupiter (2015). He portrayed the role of Cole Deschanel for a short period in the first season of the NBC television series Sunset Beach (1997).

Early life Hamilton was born in Los Angeles, the son of actors George Hamilton and Alana Collins. He is the former stepson of musician Rod Stewart.

Career In 1993, Hamilton appeared on Saturday Night Live, and starred in the film Beethoven's 2nd. In 1997, he briefly starred in the television series Sunset Beach as Cole Deschanel, but was let go only a month after the premiere.

In addition to his acting career, Hamilton is a singer and songwriter. He fronted the Los Angeles–based rock band Fine. In 1999 the group released their only album to date, Against the View. In June 2003, Hamilton released a single entitled "Wimmin, which reached No. 27 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was co-written by British singer Robbie Williams, who also provided some of the vocals on the track. Hamilton co-wrote Williams' 2003 single "Come Undone". Hamilton also claims that he co-wrote Williams' single "She's Madonna" in 2006, but that Williams omitted his name from publishing.

It was announced on August 17, 2009, he would be competing in season 9 of Dancing with the Stars. He was eliminated first on September 23, 2009. Following Dancing with the Stars, Hamilton joined the entertainment news program Extra as a field correspondent.

Since 2007, Hamilton has been performing stand-up comedy at the Hollywood Improv, The Comedy Store, and Room 5 in Los Angeles. In 2013, he appeared as the character Jack Taggert in the Marvel superhero film Iron Man 3. Hamilton also recorded the cover of Sly Fox's "Let's Go All the Way" along with supergroup The Wondergirls and Robbie Williams for Iron Man 3.

In 2019, Hamilton directed and starred in the erotic horror film Gothic Harvest.

Personal life At 19, Hamilton garnered media attention when he and Shannen Doherty married after knowing one another for only two weeks. The marriage lasted just five months before the couple divorced. He was then married to actress Angie Everhart for just four months, from December 1996 until their divorce in March 1997.

In November 2025, on the podcast Punk Rock Sober, Hamilton revealed he’d been battling a mucosal HPV-related cancer. In March 2026, he continued to speak about his illness and recovery from a drug addiction in an interview on the YouTube channel Soft White Underbelly. In April 2026, Hamilton was rushed to hospital after suffering an overdose.

Filmography +Film and television Year Title Role Notes 1993 Beethoven's 2nd Taylor Devereaux 1994 Lost in Africa Michael 1997 Sunset Beach Cole Deschanel 14 episodes 1998 Not Even the Trees Unknown 2001 Off Key Maurice 2001 Sluts & Losers Ben 2002 Never Get Outta the Boat Joe the Drummer 2003 Oz Stanley Bukowski Episode: "Junkyard Dawgs" 2006 Dreamweaver Weaver Television film 2006 Voodoo Lagoon Tom 2008 Sunday School Musical Background Person 2009 Cruel and Unusual Iverson Short film 2010 P Lo's House Ashley Television film 2012 Femme Fatales Devlin Grant Episode: "Family Business" 2012 Lost Angeles Bruce 2013 Iron Man 3 Jack Taggert 2014 Phantom Halo Donny 2014 Implant Bell Short film 2015 Cats Dancing on Jupiter Kurt 2016 Rules Don't Apply Rudolf 2019 Gothic Harvest Gar 2022 Sleep No More Donny

Discography With Fine Studio albums Against the View (1999) Singles "Wrecking Ball" (1999)

Solo Singles "Wimmin" (2003), No. 27 UK Singles Chart