Joseph Ashton (born November 18, 1986) is an American former child actor, who was best known for his role as Oswald "Otto" Rocket in

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

's animated series ''

Rocket Power ''Rocket Power'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupó, the creators of '' Rugrats''. The series aired on Nickelodeon from August 16, 1999 to July 30, 2004. Premise ''Rocket Power'' revolves aroun ...

''.

Early life

Joseph Ashton was born on November 18, 1986, in Cherokee, California. Both of his parents claim

Cherokee descent Cherokee descent, "being of Cherokee descent", or "being a Cherokee descendant" are all terms for individuals who have some degree of documented Cherokee ancestry but do not meet the criteria for tribal citizenship. The terms are also used by indiv ...

. He is the younger brother of actor

Mathew Valencia Mathew Valencia (born December 12, 1983) is a former American actor. Career Valencia is best known as the voice of Tim Drake in a starring role in ''The New Batman Adventures'' (1997-1999) and in a supporting appearance in '' Superman: The Animat ...

Career

Ashton begin his acting career in 1994, he first appeared before the camera as an infant in a national McDonald's commercial. He had a regular role on the CBS drama '' L.A. Doctors''. His guest-starring roles on television series include ''ER'', ''Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman'', ''Walker, Texas Ranger'', ''Martial Law'', ''Cracker'' and ''Smart Guy''. He appeared in ''Asylum'' as Young Tordone on HBO, and the NBC mini series ''

Blind Faith Blind Faith were an English supergroup featuring Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech. They were eagerly anticipated by the music press following on the success of each of the member's former bands, including Clapton a ...

''. Ashton's film debut was in the 1994 remake of ''

The Little Rascals ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

''. He notably starred in the title role of the 1997 film, ''

The Education of Little Tree ''The Education of Little Tree'' is a memoir-style novel written by Asa Earl Carter under the pseudonym Forrest Carter. First published in 1976 by Delacorte Press, it was initially promoted as an authentic autobiography recounting Forrest C ...

'', 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. 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." The ''Boston Phoenix'' lauded him as "adorable and energetic." Ashton starred as 'Sonny', in ''

Slappy and the Stinkers ''Slappy and the Stinkers'' is a 1998 American direct-to-video family adventure comedy film directed by Barnet Kellman. The film stars B. D. Wong and Bronson Pinchot. Its plot concerns a group of children who try to save an abused sea lion from ...

'' and won a

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

for Best Young Ensemble Performance in a feature film. He also appeared in the 2003 remake of '' Where the Red Fern Grows'', playing the main character, Billy Coleman. Ashton was also the voice of Otto Rocket in

's animated series ''

'' from 1999 to 2004. He reprised his role as the voice of Otto Rocket in the television movie ''Rocket Power: Race Across New Zealand'' for Nickelodeon and in the video games. 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 Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

''. Ashton has also teamed up with EndlessEntertainment Co., and even produced his own films.

Personal life

He is a graduate of the

University of La Verne The University of La Verne (ULV) is a private university in La Verne, California. Founded in 1891, the university is composed of the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business & Public Management, the LaFetra College of Education, College o ...

, where he majored in TV and radio broadcasting.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashton, Joseph Living people American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors American people who self-identify as being of Cherokee descent University of La Verne alumni 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 1986 births