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

Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-winning actor whose career included roles in "Alien," "Top Gun" and "M*A*S*H," died Wednesday at the age of 93, according to a Gray News report carried by WLBT, WIS, KFYR and Valley News Live.

The report, citing The Associated Press, said Skerritt died of natural causes. His family released a statement to media outlets, including People, saying that beyond his screen work, they remembered him for his humor, curiosity, wisdom and generosity.

Before acting, Skerritt spent four years in the U.S. Air Force, the stations reported. He then studied at Henry Ford College, Wayne State University and the University of California, Los Angeles, before leaving school to pursue a career in performance.

His television work earned him two Emmy nominations, both for the drama "Picket Fences." He won the award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 1993, according to the report.

On film, Skerritt appeared alongside several prominent actresses. He played Shirley MacLaine's patient husband in "The Turning Point" and Sally Field's husband in "Steel Magnolias." In "Contact," he portrayed an opportunistic figure who obstructs the efforts of Jodie Foster's character to make contact with extraterrestrial life, the stations reported.

Skerritt reflected on his career range in a 1997 interview with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, as cited in the Gray News report. "A writer once described me as a character actor locked in a leading man's body, and I've always loved that," he said at the time. He added that he had been able to move between television and feature films.

He also worked on stage. In 2004, he served as the narrator in a production of "Our Town" at the Intiman Theatre in Seattle. In 2013, he made his Broadway debut in a stage adaptation of John Grisham's novel "A Time to Kill," playing a disgraced lawyer struggling with alcohol. The Associated Press gave his performance a favorable review at the time, according to the report.

His career spanned decades and moved across military dramas, science fiction, family dramas and the stage, with his best-known film credits including the 1979 science fiction film "Alien" and the 1986 naval aviation film "Top Gun," both of which the stations highlighted in their coverage.

The stations reported that funeral arrangements had not been announced.

Compiled by True News from reporting by WLBT, WIS, KFYR and Valley News Live. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/354