Alien star Tom Skerritt has died aged 93
Tom Skerritt, the actor who played Captain Dallas in Alien and sheriff Jimmy Brock in Picket Fences, has died aged 93.
His family announced that Skerritt died of natural causes on Wednesday, October 21, celebrating a career that spanned six decades and included roles in some of Hollywood's most recognizable films.
The Hollywood Reporter reported his death, with his family remembering him for his humor, curiosity, generosity and commitment to helping others find their voices.
"We are heartbroken by his loss," the family said in a statement.
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While audiences knew him for his performances in M*A*S*H, Top Gun and A River Runs Through It, Skerritt also dedicated time to supporting veterans and aspiring filmmakers.
Tom Skerritt's most famous movies and TV shows
One of Skerritt's best-known roles came in Ridley Scott's 1979 science-fiction horror film Alien, in which he played Captain Dallas, commander of the commercial spacecraft Nostromo.
However, the actor initially turned down the part because he was concerned the production's budget would be swallowed up by special effects.
He reconsidered after learning Scott was directing and watching the filmmaker's debut feature, The Duellists (1977).
Recalling the experience in the 2001 TV documentary Alien Evolution, Skerritt praised the film's visuals and said it was a 'masterpiece'.
His breakthrough had come nine years earlier in Robert Altman's M*A*S*H (1970), playing surgeon Duke Forrest alongside Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould.
Skerritt credited Altman with giving him the confidence to experiment as an actor. In Mitchell Zuckoff's 2009 book Robert Altman: The Oral Biography, he recalled how the director encouraged performers to take risks rather than worry about embarrassing themselves.
He later played flight instructor Mike 'Viper' Metcalf opposite Tom Cruise in Top Gun (1986), before appearing as the minister and family patriarch in Robert Redford's A River Runs Through It (1992).
On television, Skerritt became a familiar face as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in CBS drama Picket Fences. He starred in the series for four seasons from 1992, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 1993 and receiving another nomination the following year.
His other credits included The Turning Point (1977), Steel Magnolias (1989), The Dead Zone (1983) and Contact (1997).
He also appeared in Cheers and made a cameo as himself in the 2012 comedy Ted.
Tom Skerritt's early life and work outside Hollywood
Born Thomas Roy Skerritt in Detroit, Michigan, on August 25, 1933, he graduated from Mackenzie High School in 1951 before enlisting in the US Air Force.
He subsequently studied English at Wayne State University before transferring to UCLA, where acting became a practical route into filmmaking.
Speaking to Film Comment in 2016, Skerritt explained that working on sets offered lessons that a university education alone could not provide.
Beyond acting, he helped establish TheFilmSchool in Seattle to support emerging storytellers and co-founded the Red Badge Project, which helped veterans work through PTSD, anxiety and depression by sharing their experiences through writing.
He also championed river conservation, supporting projects and organizations including American Rivers and the Gallatin River Task Force.
Skerritt is survived by his wife, Julie Tokashiki, whom he married in 1998; his five children, Andy, Erin, Matt, Collin and Emiko; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV
Thomas Bamford