Tom Skerritt, Emmy-Winning Actor From Alien and Top Gun, Dies at 93

Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-winning actor who played authoritative commanders in Top Gun and doomed space captain Dallas in Alien, died Wednesday of natural causes at age 93.

Tom Skerritt Passes Away at 93

His family shared a statement about the actor’s life and career. 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, the family said in the statement. We are heartbroken by his loss, his family added, noting that he also cared deeply about imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world and helping others find and share their own voices.

Skerritt’s career spanned seven decades across film and television. His extensive filmography included roles in M*A*S*H, The Turning Point, Steel Magnolias, and Contact, alongside appearances in Poison Ivy, Poltergeist III, A River Runs Through It, Singles, SpaceCamp, Tears of the Sun, and Ted, where he played himself, and his final film role in the 2025 Western Broke.

Memorable Film and Television Roles

The Detroit-born actor grew up in a middle-class Detroit family, with a father who was a small businessman and a housewife mother, alongside two brothers and a sister who died as a child. His performance in a Los Angeles theater production of The Rainmaker led to his feature debut as a sergeant in the 1962 independent Korean War film War Hunt. He spent the entire 1960s on television appearing on shows like Gunsmoke, Combat, and The Virginian before landing his breakout role as Captain Duke Forrest in Robert Altman’s hit 1970 war comedy M*A*S*H. He also landed small roles in Thieves Like Us for Robert Altman and a bit part as a motorcycle cop in Harold and Maude for Hal Ashby, later earning a National Board of Review win for The Turning Point.

Years later, he played the flight instructor in the 1986 action film Top Gun, serving as the commanding officer of Tom Cruise’s Maverick.

Emmy Recognition for Picket Fences

His television credits also included a six-episode arc as Evan Drake on Cheers, as well as recurring roles on Brothers & Sisters, Leverage, Madam Secretary, The Good Wife, and White Collar.

Co-star Lauren Holly posted a tribute to Skerritt on social media Thursday. He was our leader. His example made those years such a joy and we all loved and respected him so much, Holly wrote.

I adored Tom Skerritt. I was lucky enough to work with him on more than one project, but the first was Picket Fences. He was our leader.

Lauren Holly