Tom Skerritt Dies at 93 After a Six-Decade Screen Career

Tom Skerritt, the actor whose six-decade career stretched from M*A*S*H and Alien to Top Gun and the television drama Picket Fences, has died at 93. His family said he died Wednesday of natural causes.

In a statement, Skerritt’s family remembered him not only for his work on screen but for his humor, curiosity, wisdom and generosity. Tributes quickly followed from colleagues, including Julia Roberts, who worked with him in Steel Magnolias, and Kathy Baker, his co-star on Picket Fences.

From military service to landmark films

Born in Detroit in 1933, Skerritt served in the U.S. Air Force before turning to acting. His film debut came in the 1962 war drama War Hunt, which also featured Robert Redford. A breakthrough arrived in 1970 when he played Duke Forrest in Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H, helping establish the calm authority and dry wit that would become signatures of his work.

Skerritt joined the ensemble of Ridley Scott’s Alien in 1979 as Captain Dallas, part of a cast whose grounded performances made the film’s science-fiction horror feel immediate. He later played naval aviator Mike “Viper” Metcalf in 1986’s Top Gun, another role that introduced him to a new generation of moviegoers.

A career larger than two blockbusters

His credits extended far beyond those enduring hits. Skerritt appeared in The Turning Point, A River Runs Through It and Steel Magnolias, moving comfortably between drama, comedy and genre filmmaking. On television, his performance as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in Picket Fences earned him an Emmy and made him a weekly presence in American homes during the 1990s.

Skerritt also invested in the next generation of storytellers. He co-founded TheFilmSchool in Seattle, an organization focused on helping filmmakers develop their craft and use stories to create connection and change.

That combination of recognizable authority and understated warmth allowed him to play commanders, fathers, doctors and lawmen without making them feel interchangeable. His death closes a career with more than 170 screen credits, but the range of films and television shows he left behind ensures his work will continue to meet audiences in very different corners of popular culture.