Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-winning actor who had an enduring TV and film career that included roles in classics “Alien” and “Top Gun,” has died.
Skerritt died Wednesday of natural causes, his family announced in a statement shared Thursday with The Times. The actor, who they remembered for his “humor, curiosity, wisdom, generosity” and love, was 93.
Throughout his career, which spanned from the early 1960s to the years right before his death, Skerritt earned more than 170 film credits across television and film, according to his IMDb page. Notably, he starred alongside Sigourney Weaver in the sci-fi classic “Alien” as spacecraft captain Arthur Dallas. He also shared the screen with Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in “Top Gun” as Vietnam vet and Navy commander Mike “Viper” Metcalf.
In television, Skerritt made a career of playing law enforcement types — which worked in his favor. For the CBS series “Picket Fences,” which aired from 1992 to 1996, Skerritt starred as Sheriff Jimmy Brock. He earned his Primetime Emmy award for the role in 1993 and received another nomination for the same role the following year.
He is survived by his wife Julie; children Andy, Erin, Matt, Collin, and Emiko; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. —
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