Tom Skerritt, the ruggedly handsome actor who brought his understated strength to classics like “Alien” (1979) and “Top Gun” (1986), has died.
Skerritt, who was 93, died Wednesday, Oct. 21, from natural causes, his family confirmed in a statement shared with USA TODAY.
The Detroit native with the trademark moustache had a long, distinguished career in acting for more than six decades, often portraying empathetic husbands, cops and military men.
He was best known for playing key supporting roles like the captain of the doomed commercial spacecraft in the sci-fi thriller "Alien" (1979) and the naval officer who helped Tom Cruise's fighter pilot through the death of his best friend on a training exercise in action movie "Top Gun" (1986).
In fact, Skerritt
made such an impression as a character actor that when he played the lead role in 2021's indie drama "East of the Mountains," Variety wrote that he had finally gotten a starring role at 88.
Born in Detroit in 1933, Skerritt attributed his early interest in the arts to his monthly school field trips to cultural institutions like the Detroit Institute of Arts. After graduating from the now-defunct MacKenzie High School in the Motor City, he enlisted in 1951 in the U.S. Air Force, where he served for four years during the Korean War.
After leaving the military, Skerritt pursued a college degree through the G.I. Bill. He started out at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, then transferred to Wayne State University in Detroit and the University of California at Los Angeles. He made his movie debut with a co-starring role in "War Hunt" (1962), which starred Robert Redford, his future director in "A River Runs Through It."
Although he initially was interested in becoming a screenwriter and director, Skerritt found his niche in acting. One of his early mentors was director Robert Altman, who worked with him in small TV roles and gave him a part as a tentmate of Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould in the counterculture hit comedy movie “M*A*S*H” (1970).
“I don’t think I’d be in the business if it wasn’t for him,” said Skerritt of Altman in a 2019 A.V. Club interview.
Skerritt showed off his considerable range in the 1970s and 1980s in a string of popular films. He was a motorcycle cop in the cult hit May-December romance “Harold and Maude” (1971) and the empathetic husband of Shirley MacLaine in the ballet drama “The Turning Point" (1977).
As Captain Dallas in "Alien" (1979), Skerritt played the leader of a commercial spacecraft plagued by a deadly alien creature. As SYFY.com wrotein a 2024 story about Skerritt's memories of making the horror thriller, "He turned to co-star Yaphet Kotto (Parker) at one point and said, 'We’re making a classic, you know that?' Without missing a beat, Kotto replied, 'I sure as hell do.'"
Skerritt's numerous memorable film roles also included playing a cop who's after a serial killer in the Christopher Walken psychic chiller "The Dead Zone" (1983), Sally Field's husband in "Steel Magnolias" (1990) and the father targeted for seduction by teenager Drew Barrymore in "Poison Ivy" (1992).
In 1992's "A River Runs Through It," Skerritt reunited with Redford, playing the quiet, stern reverend who was the father of two very different sons played by Brad Pitt and Craig Sheffer. In February 2025, he told Forbesthat his love of rivers was nurtured by growing up in Michigan. “One of my first memories is sticking my bare feet in cold water and feeling those rocks,” he said, adding that “A River Runs Through It” had a special place in his heart.
“I’ve been in some wonderful movies, but that’s my favorite film, it’s so moving, it’s so Redford,” he said.
Besides film, Skerritt found success on the small screen. In the quirky ensemble television series "Picket Fences" (1992-96) created by David E. Kelley, he portrayed Sheriff Jimmy Brock and won an Emmy in 1994 as lead actor in a drama. He also had a recurring part on "Cheers" (1982-93) as Evan Drake, the boss and unrequited love of Kirstie Alley's Rebecca Howe character.
Offscreen, Skerritt was devoted to helping other military veterans. Along with former Army Capt. Evan Bailey, he co-founded the Red Badge Project, a nonprofit organization that uses the creative process of storytelling to help veterans with challenges like post-traumatic stress disorder.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tom Skerritt, actor best known for 'Top Gun' and 'Alien,' dies at 93
