Born in Albany, New York, Ashton Holmes was struck by the magic of theater and film at age 4 when his mother took him to see "Peter Pan", and it was clinched by a desire to play Luke Skywalker when he saw Yıldız Savaşları: Bölüm IV - Yeni Bir Umut (1977). He subsequently took acting lessons at age 6 and began appearing in community theater. He also attended the Albany Academy.