BREAKING NEWS: Tom Skerritt dies - Top Gun, Alien and Brothers and Sisters star was age 93

Prolific US actor Tom Skerritt has passed away at the age of 93, it has been announced. The actor died yesterday (21 October) of natural causes.

In a statement published by The Hollywood Reporter, his family said: "We are heartbroken by his loss. While the world knew Tom through his remarkable acting career, we knew him for his humour, 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."

Born in 1933, Skerritt chalked up over 170 film and TV appearances since 1962.

His breakout role was as Duke Forrest in M*A*S*H, and he won huge plaudits for playing the lead role of Sheriff Jimmy Brock on the family drama Picket Fences in the 1990s. For that role, he won a Primetime Emmy Award.

On top of that, he had a recurring role as Evan Drake on Cheers, and played deceased patriarch William Walker on the late 2000s hit drama Brothers & Sisters.

That show marked the second time he played Sally Field's husband – the first being in the film Steel Magnolias.

On the subject of film, he accrued credits in memorable movies such as The Turning Point, Up in Smoke, Ice Castles, The Dead Zone and A River Runs Through It.

In 1979, he portrayed Captain Dallas in Alien, and he was Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf in 1986's Top Gun. His final film appearance was in the Western drama Broke, released in 2025.

In recent years, he also had guest roles in shows such as The Good Wife, Madam Secretary, White Collar and Going Home.

Skerritt was married to Charlotte Shanks from 1957 to 1972, and the two had three children. He was then married to Sue Oran, with whom he has a son, from 1977 until their split in 1992. He had been married to Julie Tokashiki since 1996.

Shaun is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, with over a decade of experience reporting on all things pop culture. He has written for outlets including Metro, Attitude, Huffington Post, The Mirror, Yahoo!, Pink News and Express Online, specialising in TV, movies, soaps, music and LGBTQ+ issues. He is also a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning scriptwriter, having written episodes of the soap Hollyoaks, the official Steps musical Here & Now and multiple Offie Award-nominated plays. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, and will happily talk at length about Desperate Housewives to anyone who'll listen.