Tom Skerritt dead at 93: Actor known for Top Gun and Alien passes away as heartbroken family pay tribute

Tom Skerritt, best known for his role in the original 1979 Alien film, has died.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the actor passed away on Wednesday of natural causes at age 93.

'We are heartbroken by his loss,' his family told the publication in a statement.

'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 continued.

'He cared deeply about imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world and helping others find and share their own voices.' 

Skerritt, who has five children, married his third wife, Julie Tokashiki, in 1998.

He appeared in many classic films throughout his six-decade career, but his most iconic role is arguably playing Dallas, captain of the Nostromo, in Ridley Scott's masterpiece Alien.  

The film became a landmark of science-fiction cinema and launched a franchise that continued with Aliens, Alien 3, Alien: Resurrection and, more recently, the 2024 film Alien: Romulus.

While Skerritt never appeared in any of the sequels, he did reprise his role as Dallas in the 2014 video game Alien: Isolation, which has been lauded as one of the greatest video games ever made.  

Skerritt also starred alongside Tom Cruise in the original Top Gun movie, taking on the role of Mike 'Viper' Metcalf.

Some of his other memorable projects include Steel Magnolias, Robert Redford's A River Runs Through It, and 1977's The Turning Point, which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards.

Another one of his most iconic early roles was playing Captain Augustus 'Duke' Forrest in Robert Altman's 1970 film M*A*S*H.

Skerritt was also a prolific television actor, nabbing an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the family drama Picket Fences.

In 1987, he joined the sixth season of the hit sitcom Cheers, playing Evan Drake, one of the bosses at the Lillian Corporation.

He also appeared in Brothers & Sisters, The West Wing, Will & Grace, Roseanne, Cannon, and The Twilight Zone.  

Skerritt even had a theatre career, appearing as the narrator in a 2004 production of Our Town at Seattle’s Intiman Theatre.

He made his Broadway debut in 2013 in a stage adaptation of John Grisham’s A Time to Kill.

His later screen work included the 2025 Western drama Broke, starring Wyatt Russell and Dennis Quaid. 

In addition to his Emmy, Skerritt is a three-time SAG Award nominee and is both a Saturn Award and Western Heritage Award winner. 

In 2022, he received the International Press Academy's honorary Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Entertainment Industry.

He shared three children with his first wife Charlotte Shanks, whom he split from in 1972. 

Skerritt went on to marry Sue Oran from 1977 to 1992, and they had one son together.

He also has a daughter with his third and final wife Julie Tokashiki.

Away from acting, Skerritt supported military veterans and helped establish the Red Badge Project, an organisation that uses storytelling and creative writing to assist veterans.

Skerritt is survived by his wife, his five children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.