Tom Skerritt was rarely the loudest person on screen, but he was the one you believed. The Emmy-winning actor who played the captain in Alien, the steady commander in Top Gun and the sheriff on Picket Fences died Wednesday of natural causes at 93, according to a family statement reported by TheWrap. His family announced the Tom Skerritt death Thursday, Oct. 22.
Hollywood has lost one of its most dependable faces.
Tom Skerritt dies at 93: the family’s statement
The family, through publicist Susan Madore, did not stop at the résumé. “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,” the statement said. It added: “We are heartbroken by his loss.”
The statement also said he cared deeply about “imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world and helping others find and share their own voices.” The family will share memorial details later and has asked for privacy.
A Tom Skerritt obituary in three roles
Born Aug. 25, 1933, in Detroit, Skerritt served four years in the U.S. Air Force before studying at Wayne State University and UCLA, according to AP’s obituary. His feature debut came in the 1962 film War Hunt. His breakthrough followed in 1970, when he played Duke Forrest in Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H, per NBC News.
Then came the roles most people know. In 1979, he was Captain Dallas in Alien. In 1986, he was Cmdr. Mike Metcalf, call sign Viper, the mentor in Top Gun. From 1992 to 1996, he was Sheriff Jimmy Brock in the CBS drama Picket Fences, as NPR noted.
That last role earned him the 1993 Primetime Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama series. It is a significant honor for a man best known to film fans for playing the person in charge. For more on how other Hollywood and sports stories are playing out, see our report on Ferrari’s first all-electric supercar.
His other credits ran deep, among them Steel Magnolias, A River Runs Through It, Contact, The Turning Point, Cheers and Ted. His final film role came in the 2025 Western Broke, according to Rolling Stone.
The life behind the Tom Skerritt death
Skerritt kept working long after most people slow down. He helped found TheFilmSchool in Seattle. He also co-founded the Red Badge Project, which helps veterans work through PTSD, anxiety and depression by writing, ABC7 reported. In 2016, at age 84, he launched Heyou Media in Seattle. He was still appearing at fan events at 92.
Here’s the thing: that is the part the filmography skips. A man who spent his career playing leaders spent his later years leading in real life, often for veterans who needed someone to listen.
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His wife, Julie, survives him, along with his children Andy, Erin, Matt, Colin and Emiko, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Hollywood has plenty of stars. It has far fewer people you would trust to fly the plane, run the ship or keep the peace in a small town. Tom Skerritt played all three, and he made it look easy.
