Tom Skerritt, Prolific Film and TV Actor, Dies at 93
Tom Skerritt, a veteran performer with nearly 200 film and television credits, died Wednesday at 93 of natural causes. His career included M*A*S*H, Alien, Top Gun, and Steel Magnolias, and he worked early on with director Robert Altman.
Skerritt was born in Detroit and became interested in the arts as a child, later spending four years in the Air Force before studying directing at UCLA. He left college for television work, taking small roles in 1960s series and learning on sets connected to Robert Altman.
Altman gave him a major opportunity in 1970’s M*A*S*H, alongside Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould. Skerritt balanced film and episodic TV work in the following decade, later playing Captain Dallas in Alien and seeking a part in Top Gun. He won an Emmy for Picket Fences.
News of Skerritt’s death may resonate most with older viewers who followed his long television and film career, and with fans of the many franchises and dramas he appeared in. His range—from blockbusters to acclaimed series—could prompt retrospective viewing and renewed discussion of character actors’ contributions. For industry peers and aspiring performers, his steady, decades-long working life may serve as a reminder of versatility and persistence.