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Actor Tom Skerritt, Star of 'M*A*S*H,' 'Alien,' and 'Steel Magnolias,' Dies at 93
Confirmed
In Short: Actor Tom Skerritt, known for his roles in 'M*A*S*H,' 'Alien,' and 'Steel Magnolias,' died on Wednesday due to natural causes at the age of 93.
Actor Tom Skerritt, who starred in iconic films such as 'M*A*S*H,' 'Alien,' and 'Steel Magnolias,' passed away on Wednesday due to natural causes, according to a statement released by his family.
Skerritt's career spanned over six decades, beginning with his film debut in the 1962 war drama 'War Hunt' alongside Robert Redford. He went on to appear in Robert Altman's 1970 film 'M*A*S*H,' which marked a turning point in his career.
In 1979, Skerritt played Capt. Arthur Dallas in Ridley Scott's 'Alien,' alongside Sigourney Weaver. He later portrayed Cmdr. Mike 'Viper' Metcalf in the 1986 blockbuster 'Top Gun,' and Drum Eatenton in the 1989 comedy-drama 'Steel Magnolias,' alongside Sally Field, Julia Roberts, and Dolly Parton.
Skerritt's television work included starring as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in the CBS drama 'Picket Fences,' which aired from 1992 to 1996. His performance in 'Picket Fences' earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 1993.
Beyond his acting career, Skerritt was known for his contributions to the film industry. He helped found TheFilmSchool in Seattle to support aspiring filmmakers and storytellers.
Skerritt's early roles included arcs on TV westerns such as 'The Virginian,' 'Death Valley Days,' '12 O’Clock High,' and 'Gunsmoke.' He also appeared in films like 'Harold and Maude,' 'Ice Castles,' 'The Dead Zone,' 'Poltergeist III,' 'Contact,' 'Tears of the Sun,' and 'Ted.'
In 2013, Skerritt made his Broadway debut in an adaptation of John Grisham's 'A Time to Kill,' playing a disgraced and drunken lawyer.
Skerritt's talent, integrity, curiosity, and compassion made a lasting impact on his family, his profession, and the many communities he worked to support. His family expressed their heartbreak over his loss.
Skerritt's roles in 'M*A*S*H,' 'Alien,' and 'Steel Magnolias' remain some of his most memorable, showcasing his versatility and range as an actor.
What this adds
Skerritt's Broadway debut in 2013 in 'A Time to Kill' was a notable addition to his extensive filmography.
Background
M*A*S*H is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker.
Steel Magnolias is a 1989 American comedy drama film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts. The screenplay by Robert Harling is based on his 1987 play of the same name about the bond a group of women share in a small-town Southern community, and how they cope with the death of one of their own.
What's confirmed
- Skerritt died on Wednesday due to natural causes, according to a statement released by his family.
- In 1979, he played Capt. Arthur Dallas in Ridley Scott's science fiction horror film "Alien," starring alongside Sigourney Weaver. He later portrayed Cmdr. Mike "Viper" Metcalf opposite Tom Cruise in 1986 blockbuster "Top Gun" and played Drum Eatenton in 1989 comedy-drama "Steel Magnolias," alongside Sally Field, Julia Roberts and Dolly Parton. Skerritt also found success on television, starring as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in the CBS drama "Picket Fences," which aired from 1992 to 1996. His performance earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 1993. His other notable film credits included "The Turning Point," "A River Runs Through It" and "Contact."
- "While the world knew Tom through his remarkable acting career, we knew him for his humor, curiosity, wisdom, generosity, and the love he brought into our lives." Born Aug.
- "A writer once described me as a character actor locked in a leading man's body, and I've always loved that. It's a nice compliment. I've been able to walk the line between television and features," he told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 1997.
What's still developing
- “I thought they would just make it into another sitcom,” he later told the Associated Press.
- The role launched him to a prolific Hollywood career that saw him garner more than 100 screen credits.
- Then 37 years old, Skerritt was third-billed in the feature, after then-more-established stars Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould.
- “It is spontaneity and impulse that make the difference, and that is what I felt we had with ‘Alien.’ Every one of us had that immediate rapport with each other – the respect that I had for the other actors and the respect that they had for me,” Skerritt told interviewer Peter Sobczynski in 2019, while also lauding Scott’s directorial brilliance.
- I really like that idea.” Things shifted again after that, including a memorable role as Tom Cruise’s instructor in the landmark “Top Gun”: “Gentlemen, you are the top 1% of all Naval aviators.
- “There was such a deep connection we made with each other that it matured into a level-headed friendship,” Redford told the Seattle Times in 2007.
- Columbia Tristar Pictures / Archives du 7eme Art / Photo12 via AFP With screen credits reaching as far back as the early 1960s, Skerritt found his footing mostly in Westerns before breaking out in the megahit 1970 Robert Altman film M*A*S*H as surgeon Duke Forrest.
- He also landed higher-profile film roles including in the Oscar-nominated 1977 movie The Turning Point starring Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine.
- Other than the staff, only four or five people had "clocked him" because he had lifted the piano’s lid, according to the co-owner of the Duke of Marlborough Hotel.
- “We are heartbroken by his loss,” his family said ( via The Hollywood Reporter ).
- In 1979, Skerritt was cast in his memorable big-screen role as Dallas, the captain of the ill-fated ship in Ridley Scott’s Alien.
- “I just loved the guy from the first. He made me realize early on that you could do no wrong, as long as you tried,” Skerritt said in Mitchell Zuckoff’s 2009 book Robert Altman: The Oral Biography.