Clarence Linden Garnett Ashby III (born May 23, 1960) is an American actor.[1] On television, he portrayed Brett Cooper on the final two seasons of the Fox soap opera Melrose Place (1997–1999) and Sheriff Noah Stilinski on all six seasons of the MTV supernatural drama Teen Wolf (2011–2017). He is also known for portraying Johnny Cage in the 1995 film Mortal Kombat, an adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name.
In the second quarter of 1997, Ashby starred in the short-lived ABC drama Spy Game.[5] Later that year, he joined the main cast of Melrose Place as Brett Cooper, a role he had until the start of the seventh season in late 1998. He first appeared on the show in the first season in 1993 as Jo Reynolds's estranged husband Charles, in the episodes "Peanut Butter and Jealousy" and "Single White Sister". He was in the movie Wyatt Earp where he played Morgan Earp, Wyatt Earp's (Kevin Costner) younger brother. He played Cameron Kirsten on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless from 2003 to 2004.[6]
In September 2021, it was announced that a reunion film for Teen Wolf had been ordered by Paramount+, with Jeff Davis returning as a screenwriter and executive producer of the film. The majority of the original cast members, including Ashby, were set to reprise their roles.[11][12] The film was released on January 26, 2023. He also appeared in the 2022 Netflix movie Purple Hearts as Jacob Morrow Sr.[13]
In March 2023, Ashby reprised his role as Cameron on The Young and the Restless. After a month, Ashby departed from the series when Cameron was killed off in the episode that aired on June 16 of that year.[14] The next year, Ashby was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series for his role as Cameron.[15] On July 30, 2024, it was announced that Ashby would reprise his role again.[16]
Personal life
Ashby is married to actress Susan Walters. The couple met on the set of Loving in 1983, where she was a regular and he was filming a guest appearance (he would later become a regular cast member in 1985).[17] They have two daughters, born in 1991 and 1992.
Linden began boxing at an early age and was an amateur boxer before studying Karate in his twenties. In karate, he holds a blue belt.[18][19]
Linden has admitted to previously suffering panic attacks before auditions which threatened to shorten his career.[20]
