American screen actor Tom Skerritt, best known for his roles in film classics such as Alien, Top Gun, and MASH, has died aged 93, per indiewire.com.
Skerritt passed away on October 21 of natural causes, according to a statement released by his manager.
Skerritt’s career spanned more than seven decades and included over 100 screen credits. His breakout role came in Robert Altman’s 1970 Korean War comedy MASH*, where he played surgeon Duke Forrest alongside Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould.
In 1979, he took on one of his most enduring roles as Captain Dallas in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror Alien. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Skerritt built a prolific career with prominent supporting roles in The Dead Zone, Steel Magnolias, Top Gun, A River Runs Through It, and Contact.
Skerritt also achieved major success on television. In 1993, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for his lead role as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in the CBS drama series Picket Fences, receiving a subsequent nomination the following year.
Born Thomas Roy Skerritt in Detroit, Michigan, on August 25, 1933, he served in the US Air Force before studying at Wayne State University and UCLA. Beyond acting, Skerritt co-founded The Film School in Seattle and created The Red Badge Project to support military veterans facing post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
He remained active in film until his final years, most recently appearing in the 2025 Western Broke. Skerritt is survived by his wife, Julie Tokashiki, five children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Skerritt was regarded as one of Hollywood’s most reliable character actors, transitioning seamlessly between feature films, independent projects, and major network television over a 60-year professional screen career.
•Featured image: Tom Skerritt attends the premiere of ‘The 15:17 to Paris’ at Warner Bros. Studios on February 5, 2018 in Burbank, California/FilmMagic