Tom Skerritt, the Air Force veteran and Emmy-winning actor known for “Top Gun,” “Alien,” and “Picket Fences,” has died at 93 of natural causes, his family said.
Skerritt died Wednesday at age 93, his family announced, citing natural causes.
ABC News reported the death of the screen veteran whose career stretched more than six decades, from early war dramas to blockbuster hits and network television.
His family said they were grieving a man the public knew from major films and a long-running TV drama, and whom they knew as a husband, father, and grandfather.
"We are heartbroken by his loss."
The family added that while audiences knew him through his acting, they knew him for his humor, curiosity, wisdom, generosity, and the love he brought into their lives.
Skerritt was born in Detroit on Aug. 25, 1933. He served in the U.S. Air Force before he pursued acting, a path that later shaped both his roles and his work off-screen.
His film debut came in 1962 in the war drama “War Hunt,” opposite Robert Redford. In 1970 he appeared in Robert Altman’s “M*A*S*H.”
By the late 1970s and 1980s he was a steady presence in major studio pictures. In 1979 he played Capt. Arthur Dallas in Ridley Scott’s “Alien,” starring alongside Sigourney Weaver. In 1986 he portrayed Cmdr. Mike “Viper” Metcalf opposite Tom Cruise in “Top Gun.” In 1989 he played Drum Eatenton in “Steel Magnolias” with Sally Field, Julia Roberts, and Dolly Parton.
From 1992 to 1996, Skerritt starred as Sheriff Jimmy Brock on the CBS drama “Picket Fences.” In 1993 he won a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series.
At the 45th annual Emmy ceremonies on Sept. 19, 1993, in Pasadena, Calif., he appeared with Kathy Baker after her own win for the same series.
Those credits alone would mark a full career. Skerritt kept building something else alongside them.
He helped found TheFilmSchool in Seattle to support aspiring filmmakers and storytellers. He also co-founded the Red Badge Project, which helps military veterans cope with PTSD, anxiety, and depression through writing and storytelling.
That work matched the family tribute that followed his death. They said he believed stories can help people heal, find purpose, and create change.
"Tom will be remembered not only for the characters he brought to life, but also for his belief that stories can help people heal, find purpose, and create change."
They said his talent, integrity, curiosity, and compassion left a lasting mark on his family, his profession, and the communities he supported.
"His talent, integrity, curiosity, and compassion made a lasting impact on his family, his profession, and the many communities he worked to support."
Skerritt is survived by his wife, Julie Tokashiki, five children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. The family said details about a memorial will be shared later.
A long career, a uniform before the spotlight, and a late-life focus on veterans and honest storytelling, that is a record worth honoring without the usual Hollywood fog.
