Tom Skerritt, the distinguished actor whose career spanned decades of iconic roles in film and television, has died at the age of 93. His family confirmed he passed away on Wednesday from natural causes. While she just sat there. “Men are supposed to be made out of steel or something,” she says, in a line that hin, fields’ M’Lynn remarks how her husband couldn’t even be in the room when their daughter finally passed away.
Known for his ability to portray characters with a blend of unflappable authority and genuine heart, Skerritt earned critical acclaim across a variety of genres. His most celebrated work included the 1979 sci-fi classic Alien, where he played Captain Dallas, and the long-running CBS series Picket Fences. His performance as a small-town sheriff in Picket Fences, which aired from 1992 to 1996, secured him a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor. In the darkly comic series, Skerritt played an aging sheriff struggling to keep things calm in his small town, solidifying his trademark mix of unflappable authority and disarming likability. But it was his role in 1979’s “Alien,” directed by Ridley Scott, that truly expanded Skerritt’s range. In the sci-fi/horror film, Skerritt played Captain Dallas, one of the few who aligns with Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley as their intergalactic shipping crew is faced with a horrible menace. But we can still love them – we can love completely without complete understanding.”.
Skerritt’s filmography reflects his broad range, beginning with his early westerns and his breakout role as Duke Forrest in the 1970 hit M*A*S*H. Other notable film contributions included his work in The Turning Point, The Dead Zone, and Top Gun, where he played the pivotal character Viper. He also played the patriarch in Steel Magnolias and featured in Robert Redford’s A River Runs Through It. His final screen credit was in the 2025 film Broke. With screen credits reaching as far back as the early 1960s, Skerritt found his footing mostly in Westerns before breaking out in the megahit 1970 Robert Altman film “M*A*S*H” as surgeon Duke Forrest. He also landed higher-profile film roles including in the Oscar-nominated 1977 movie “The Turning Point” starring Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine. In “Top Gun,” he played Viper, a character at first unimpressed with the bravado of Tom Cruise’s character Maverick, soon taking him under his wing. After a multi-episode arc on “Cheers,” Skerritt appeared as the patriarch in “Steel Magnolias,” the film starring Sally Field, Julia Roberts and Dolly Parton. It was his “River Runs Through It” role as a reverend that saw Skerritt deliver fatherly advice in lines like, “For it is true, we can seldom help those closest to us.
In a statement issued by his publicist Susan Madore, Skerritt’s family expressed their grief and celebrated his character. “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,” they wrote. They noted his deep commitment to imagination and service, highlighting his co-founding of the Red Badge Project, which assists veterans in addressing PTSD and depression through creative writing.
Reflecting on his artistic journey in 2020, Skerritt credited a college screening of Citizen Kane at UCLA with sparking his passion for cinema.
He described himself as fundamentally a “story guy” who used acting to overcome his inherent shyness. This dedication to narrative extended to his advocacy work; inspired by his time filming A River Runs Through It, he championed the documentary series Reflections of the River to highlight the importance of environmental conservation in the United States.
His career remained active well into the 21st century, with appearances in television shows such as Brothers & Sisters and Will & Grace, as well as films like Ted and A Hologram for the King. Throughout his life, he remained a steady, reliable presence in entertainment, often portraying fatherly or mentor figures with a trademark “stiff-upper-lip” demeanor that resonated with audiences. He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He went on to appear in various TV shows in the 1970s including “Bonanza” and “Gunsmoke. More often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted, either we don’t know what part of ourselves to give or. So the chance of playing someone who is not me—maybe that could break through being shy or being more outgoing, and I could learn what it felt like to be on stage.”, i could never speak in front of people.
