Tom Skerritt, the versatile American actor who captained the Nostromo in Alien and trained fighter pilots in Top Gun, died on Wednesday at age 93, n-tv.de reported. His representative confirmed to the industry publication Variety that the actor passed away of natural causes. Skerritt maintained a screen presence across six decades in film and television, though his most prestigious awards recognized his work on the small screen rather than box-office blockbusters.
Natural Causes Claims the Veteran Screen Star
He made his cinematic debut in the 1962 war drama War Hunt, which also featured a young Robert Redford. Skerritt built a career out of distinct supporting parts, appearing as a motorcycle officer in Harold and Maude, a sheriff in David Cronenberg's Stephen King adaptation The Dead Zone, and the father of Julia Roberts' character in Steel Magnolias. Clint Eastwood cast him as the father of Charlie Sheen's character in The Rookie, and Skerritt later stood alongside Jodie Foster in Contact before making a cameo as himself in Seth MacFarlane's 2012 comedy Ted.
Emmy Win Defines Television Career
While Skerritt established a permanent footprint in cinema through iconic supporting turns, his highest television accolade arrived in 1993 when he won an Emmy Award for playing Sheriff Jimmy Brock in David E. Kelley’s CBS drama series Picket Fences. The series aired from 1992 to 1996, earning him a second Emmy nomination the following year alongside multiple Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. Television audiences also recognized him as Evan Drake, Kirstie Alley’s unrequited boss on Cheers, and as family patriarch William Walker on Brothers & Sisters between 2006 and 2009, alongside guest appearances on The West Wing and The Good Wife.
Family and Survivors
Skerritt is survived by his wife, Julie Tokashiki, whom he married in 1998, and his five children. His previous marriages to Charlotte Shanks and Sue Oran ended in divorce. His body of work spans generations of Hollywood history, from Robert Altman’s 1970 satirical comedy MASH—where he played surgeon Duke Forrest alongside Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould—to Robert Redford’s 1992 directorial project A River Runs Through It, where he portrayed the presbyterian minister father to Brad Pitt and Craig Sheffer.
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