Hollywood actor Tom Skerritt, known for his roles in films including Alien, M*A*S*H and Top Gun, has died at the age of 93. He died of natural causes on Wednesday, according to Variety.
“While the world knew Tom through his remarkable acting career, we knew him for his humour, curiosity, wisdom, generosity, and the love he brought into our lives,” his family said in a statement.
They added, “He cared deeply about imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world, and helping others find and share their own voices.”
Skerrit is survived by his third wife Julie, five children and several grandchildren.
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Tom Skerritt Professional Journey
Born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1933, the actor served in the US Air Force before pursuing an acting career that boasted several military roles. He has worked in film and television over a career spanning six decades, from the 1960s to the 2020s. He played leading and supporting roles across genres, from science fiction and war comedy to drama.
In a six-decade career, he took on film and TV roles, appearing in the film Mash, A River Runs Through It and Ted. He also co-founded TheFilmSchool in Seattle to support next-generation filmmakers and storytellers.
The Detroit-born actor made his film debut in 1962 alongside a young Robert Redford in War Hunt. Years later, he re-teamed with Redford in the 1992 period drama A River Runs Through It, which starred Brad Pitt.
Skerritt's breakthrough role came when he played Captain Augustus Bedford “Duke” Forrest in Robert Altman's 1970 Korean War comedy M*A*S*H, which also starred Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould and Sally Kellerman.
Skerritt later played Dee Mobley in his friend Altman's 1974 film, Thieves Like Us. Throughout the 1970s, Skerritt appeared in a number of big screen comedies, dramas and even a landmark sci-fi film.
Those films included Harold and Maude, The Turning Point, Up in Smoke and Ice Castles. The sci-fi outing happened to be a film directed by a relatively new British director named Ridley Scott.
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He also starred alongside Sigourney Weaver in the 1979 sci-fi film Alien. The film, which also starred Sigourney Weaver and Ian Holm, received two Oscar nominations and led to three sequels and several crossover projects.
As Commander Mike “Viper” Metcalf in the 1986 classic Top Gun, the versatile actor appeared alongside a young Tom Cruise in the blockbuster.
On television, Skerritt starred in the CBS series Picket Fences from 1992 to 1996. He played a sheriff in a Wisconsin town and won the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 1993.
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