Tom Skerritt, ‘Alien’ and ‘Picket Fences’ Actor, Dead at 93
Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-winning actor who starred in Alien and Picket Fences, has died at the age of 93.
Skerritt’s family said in a statement that the actor died Wednesday of natural causes. “We are heartbroken by his loss,” his family said (via The Hollywood Reporter). “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. He cared deeply about imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world and helping others find and share their own voices.”
Over a career that spanned seven decades, Skerritt also had supporting roles in films like M*A*S*H, Top Gun (as the commanding officer of Tom Cruise’s Maverick), the erotic thriller Poison Ivy, the sci-fi drama Contact, and the horror film Poltergeist III.
The Detroit-born Skerritt spent the entire 1960s on television, appearing on shows like Gunsmoke, Combat, and The Virginian but landing his breakout role as Captain Duke Forrest in director Robert Altman’s hit 1970 war comedy M*A*S*H.
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In 1979, Skerritt was cast in his memorable big-screen role as Dallas, the captain of the ill-fated ship in Ridley Scott’s Alien.
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