Home · Entertainment · Oct 22 archive
'Top Gun' star Tom Skerritt dead at 93
· Confirmed
In Short: Veteran actor Tom Skerritt, known for roles in 'Alien,' 'Top Gun,' and 'Picket Fences,' died Wednesday of natural causes.
Veteran actor Tom Skerritt, known for roles in 'Alien,' 'Top Gun,' and 'Picket Fences,' died Wednesday of natural causes, according to a statement released by his family.
Skerritt, who was 93, had a career spanning more than six decades, appearing in numerous films and television shows.
His family said information about a memorial will be shared at a later date.
In 1979, Skerritt 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 the 1986 blockbuster 'Top Gun.'
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.
Beyond acting, Skerritt helped found TheFilmSchool in Seattle to support aspiring filmmakers and storytellers.
"We are heartbroken by his loss," the statement read.
Skerritt made his film debut in the 1962 war drama 'War Hunt,' alongside Robert Redford, and later appeared in Robert Altman's 1970 film 'M*A*S*H.'
His other notable film credits included 'The Turning Point,' 'A River Runs Through It,' and 'Contact.'
"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.
"His example made those years such a joy and we all loved and respected him so much," Holly Skerritt wrote.
"He cared deeply for his family-both the one at home and the one at work. He cared deeply for his planet, and all of its inhabitants. He had a huge impact on my life, and so many memories I have of him include sharing fits of crippling laughter," she added.
What this adds
The news adds details about Skerritt's early career in television and his role in founding TheFilmSchool in Seattle.
Background
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.
Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and his radar intercept officer, Lieutenant j.g. Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, are F-14 Tomcat pilots assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.
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 the 1986 blockbuster "Top Gun" and played Drum Eatenton in the 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."
- "We are heartbroken by his loss," the statement read.
- Skerritt also found success on television, starring as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in the CBS drama "Picket Fences," which aired from 1992 to 1996.
- “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.
- Tom Skerritt, the veteran actor whose more than six-decade career included memorable roles in Alien, Top Gun, M*A*S*H, and Picket Fences, has died, according to People.
- Skerritt died on Wednesday of natural causes, his family said: "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."
- Skerritt's breakthrough role came when he played US army surgeon Duke Forrest in the 1970 Korean War comedy Mash, which also starred Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould and Sally Kellerman.
- A deep believer in the power of storytelling, Skerritt helped found the TheFilmSchool in Seattle and co-founded the Red Badge Project, which helps veterans work through PTSD, anxiety and depression by writing and sharing their experiences.
- His family said he will be remembered "for his belief that stories can help people heal, find purpose, and create change".
- US actor Tom Skerritt, who starred in the TV series Picket Fences and the films Alien and Top Gun, has died aged 93, his family says.
- “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
- And as Captain Dallas in Alien, Skerritt was an integral part of the film that launched a franchise still thriving today.
- But with his lean frame and weather-beaten good looks, Skerritt quickly found his place in front of the camera.
- He spent his early days in Hollywood appearing in television shows, from My Three Sons to The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and hanging out with the likes of Robert Redford and director Hal Ashby, who cast Skerritt in Harold and Maude (as a cop, of course).
- Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-winning actor who embodied a solid, wry authority figure, whether as a flight instructor in “Top Gun,” a tough-but-fair sheriff on TV’s “Picket Fences” or the doomed captain of “Alien,” has died.
- Actor Tom Skerritt in a scene from the movie 'Alien' in 1979 The moustachioed star of several 20th century hit films was born in 1933 in Detroit, Michigan, and served in the US Air Force before pursuing an acting career that boasted several military roles.
- “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.
- The moustachioed star of several 20th century hit films was born in 1933 in Detroit, Michigan, and served in the US Air Force before pursuing an acting career that boasted several military roles.
- Skerritt said that one of the things he liked most when he first read the script was that "the woman becomes a hero", referring to Weaver's character, Ripley.
- In a statement, Skerritt's family said that he leaves behind a "legacy that reaches far beyond the screen".
- The Detroit native made his film debut in the 1962 film "War Hunt" and later worked with director Robert Altman in "MASH," playing Capt. Augustus "Duke" Forrest. His best-known movie roles included Capt. Dallas in "Alien," Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf in "Top Gun," Drum Eatenton in "Steel Magnolias," Rev. MacLean in "A River Runs Through It" and David Drumlin in "Contact."
- The Detroit-born Skerritt spent the entire 1960s on television, appearing on shows like Gunsmoke, Combat, and The Virginian but landing his breakout role as Captain Duke Forrest in director Robert Altman’s hit 1970 war comedy M*A*S*H.
- Britain's energy supplies are secure for winter, national grid operators have said, despite expected higher gas demand at peak times and possible "tight days" for electricity.