Tom Skerritt, actor in Alien and Top Gun, dies aged 93

Reports released on 22 October 2026 said that US actor Tom Skerritt, known for Picket Fences, M*A*S*H, Top Gun and Alien, had died at 93. The BBC reported that he died on Wednesday of natural causes. The accounts provided do not identify where he died.¹²³⁵

A career across film and television

Skerritt first appeared on the big screen in War Hunt, a wartime drama released in 1962. He served four years in the United States Air Force before pursuing acting. According to the Guardian, his career lasted more than 60 years and encompassed more than 170 screen credits.¹²³⁴

The BBC identified his role as army surgeon Duke Forrest in M*A*S*H as his breakthrough. The film was directed by Robert Altman and received five Academy Award nominations, according to EL PAÍS. Skerritt’s subsequent major roles included both Alien and Top Gun.¹³⁴⁵

In Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, he played spaceship captain Dallas, EL PAÍS reported. The Guardian said Skerritt had initially declined the film because of its small budget. Recalling the cast’s working relationship, he told the BBC: "Every one of us had that immediate rapport with each other."¹²⁴

His Top Gun character was naval aviation instructor Mike “Viper” Metcalf, according to EL PAÍS. On television, the newspaper reported, he starred in Picket Fences from 1992 to 1996, playing a sheriff in a small Wisconsin town.⁴

In 1993, Skerritt received the Emmy awarded to the best lead actor in a drama series. The BBC identified the winning performance as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in Picket Fences. Lauren Holly, who played his deputy, remembered him as "our leader", the broadcaster reported.¹⁴⁵

Storytelling beyond acting

His work also included helping veterans tell their own stories. In 2012, he co-founded the Red Badge Project, according to the Guardian. The initiative sought to help veterans process post-traumatic stress through storytelling; the BBC also described its work with anxiety and depression through writing and sharing experiences.¹²

The BBC reported that Skerritt also co-founded TheFilmSchool to support emerging filmmakers and storytellers. It said he created Reflections of the River and supported river conservation. These activities accompanied a screen career that, according to EL PAÍS, continued from the 1960s into the 2020s.¹⁴

The Guardian identified the 2025 film Broke as his final film role. His family’s tribute, reported by the BBC, described a "legacy that reaches far beyond the screen". According to the broadcaster, his surviving family members include Julie, his third wife, as well as five children and several grandchildren.¹²