Tom Skerritt, a prolific, award-winning actor and Michigan native, has died. He was 93.
Skerritt died Wednesday, Oct. 21, from natural causes, his family confirmed in a statement shared with USA TODAY.
"We are heartbroken by his loss," the family statement said. "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. He cared deeply about imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world, and helping others find and share their own voices."
Skerritt was best known for his roles in the movies "M*A*S*H," "Alien" and "Top Gun," and the TV series "Picket Fences." Born in Detroit, Skerritt attended Henry Ford College and Wayne
State University.
Skerritt's career spanned more than six decades, from the 1960s into the 2020s. He began the 1970s with his breakthrough role as Duke Forrest in Robert Altman's 1970 war comedy "M*A*S*H," alongside Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Robert Duvall and Sally Kellerman. The film later inspired the television series of the same name.
By the decade's end, he played the equally indelible role of Dallas, captain of the Nostromo, in Ridley Scott's 1979 science fiction classic "Alien."
In the 1986 blockbuster "Top Gun," Skerritt shared the screen with Tom Cruise as commanding officer Mike "Viper" Metcalf. "Generation after generation have come to love that film and watch it with the same enthusiasm as the past ones," Skerritt told USA TODAY in 2016, when the film celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Skerritt's list of other memorable movie credits includes "A River Runs Through It," "The Dead Zone" and "Contact."
On the TV side, Skerritt won the Emmy for best lead actor in a drama series in 1993 for his role as Jimmy Brock on the family drama "Picket Fences," which ran for four seasons on CBS. He also appeared on shows like "Gunsmoke" and "The Twilight Zone" and was Rebecca Howe's (Kirstie Alley) boss Evan Drake in the sixth season of "Cheers."
Skerritt served in the Air Force in the 1950s before pursuing a career as an actor. Speaking with RogerEbert.com in 2019, the star noted he was originally interested in writing for movies and "never really thought about acting per se."
"How I ever got to acting, I don't know," he told the outlet. "I thought I had to feel what it was like to be an actor in order to write for one. If you want to know what 'hot' is, you have to touch it."
Skerritt was continuing to work as an actor in recent years: In 2025, he appeared in the Western drama "Broke" with Wyatt Russell and Dennis Quaid.
"We are incredibly grateful for the love and support being shown by his friends, colleagues, and fans," the statement from Skerritt's family said. "We ask for privacy as our family grieves. Information regarding a memorial will be shared at a later date."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan native Tom Skerritt, 'Alien' and 'Top Gun' star, dies at 93
