Tom Skerritt, actor known for Alien and Top Gun, dies at 93

Tom Skerritt, the American actor known for roles in Alien and Top Gun, has died at the age of 93. His publicist confirmed to Variety that he died from natural causes.

"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," a family statement shared with People said.

More than 60 years on screen

Skerritt's career spanned more than six decades and more than 170 big and small screen credits. He won an Emmy and received Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award nominations.

After a four-year tour of duty in the US air force, he made his big-screen debut in the 1962 war film War Hunt, alongside Robert Redford and Sydney Pollack. His breakout came in 1970 with Robert Altman's satire M*A*S*H, a major box office hit that was nominated for the best picture Oscar.

The 1970s brought roles in the cult black comedy Harold and Maude, Altman's crime drama Thieves Like Us, Roger Corman's Big Bad Mama and the Oscar-nominated ballet drama The Turning Point. The decade closed with Ridley Scott's Alien, a film he had earlier turned down because of its low budget. "At two million bucks and with other actors that I don't know about, this is a film that could have been directed by Ed Wood," he said in a 2019 interview.

In the 1980s he appeared in David Cronenberg's The Dead Zone, the sci-fi adventure SpaceCamp, horror sequel Poltergeist III and the female-led comedy drama Steel Magnolias. He also worked with Tony Scott on the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, a role he almost did not get.

The 1990s saw him reunite with Redford for A River Runs Through It and star with Jodie Foster in Contact, Drew Barrymore in Poison Ivy and Diane Keaton in The Other Sister. He received an Emmy for David E Kelley's family drama Picket Fences, which ran for four seasons. Later credits included Tears of the Sun with Bruce Willis, Whiteout with Kate Beckinsale, and television roles in Will & Grace, The West Wing and Brothers & Sisters. His last film role was in the 2025 western drama Broke, with Dennis Quaid.

Helping veterans through storytelling

In 2012, Skerritt co-founded the Red Badge Project, an initiative that aimed to help veterans process their PTSD through storytelling. "It starts with that wanting to help someone else rather than talking about it," he told CBS News. "I just got tired of talking about this if I could do something about it."

"I'm just a lucky guy, man," he said in 2021. "Strength is measured in how you confront your weaknesses. I have had a lot of weaknesses. I still have them."

Source: The Guardian.