Oct. 22 – Tom Skerritt, the versatile actor who starred in Hollywood megahits including the sci-fi classic “Alien,” the war comedy “M*A*S*H” and the action drama “Top Gun,” has died at the age of 93, his manager confirmed.

Skerritt, a Detroit native whose Hollywood career spanned from the 1960s to 2020, died of natural causes on Wednesday, ABC7 said, citing a statement from his family.

Known for his striking looks and ability to shine in a variety of genres, Skerritt delivered memorable performances in leading and supporting roles in film and television.

Skerritt’s breakthrough role was that of a rogue U.S. Army surgeon in director Robert Altman’s 1970 Korean War black comedy “M*A*S*H”, a film whose cast also included Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould and Sally Kellerman. Skerritt played Southerner Duke Forrest as a doctor at the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital stitching up wounded soldiers.

The film, whose popularity coincided with American unease over the Vietnam War, was nominated for five Academy Awards.

In director Ridley Scott’s 1979 science-fiction horror film “Alien”, Skerritt played an ill-fated spaceship captain named Dallas, whose crew encounters a deadly parasitic extraterrestrial creature with a surreal appearance and a bad attitude. In the film’s famous and bloody “chestburster” scene, Skerritt’s character is sitting next to his co-star John Hurt when an alien baby violently bursts out of Hurt’s character’s torso.

“Alien,” an influential masterpiece whose cast also included Sigourney Weaver and Ian Holm, earned two Oscar nominations.

“It’s the spontaneity and the impulsivity that makes the difference, and I thought that’s what we had with ‘Alien.'” Skerritt told interviewer Peter Sobczynski in 2019. “Every single one of us had an immediate connection with each other — the respect I had for the other actors and the respect they had for me.” He also praised Scott’s directing talent.

“Alien” was one of several films in which Skerritt featured strong female characters, in this case Weaver’s courageous character Ripley. At that time it was considered pioneering.

Skerritt said, “When I read the script, one of the things I liked most about it was that the woman became the hero. I loved that.”

“Seeing women in a position of strength and patience to make the right relationships and decisions appealed to me. I experienced this with the women in ‘Steel Magnolias’ as well. I liked the idea of ​​women being tough, strong and dominant.”

In “Steel Magnolias”, Skerritt played Drum Eatenton, the husband of Sally Field’s M’Lynn Eatenton.

Tony Scott, brother of the “Alien” director, cast Skerritt in the lead supporting role of Naval aviation instructor Viper Metcalf in the 1986 blockbuster “Top Gun,” which helped star Tom Cruise ascend into the Hollywood stratosphere.

Skerritt also played Shirley MacLaine’s husband in director Herbert Ross’s 1977 ballet drama “The Turning Point” and starred opposite another rising star, Brad Pitt, in Robert Redford’s beautifully shot 1992 period drama “A River Runs Through It.”

Other films in which he appeared were: “Harold & Maude”, “Ice Castles”, “The Dead Zone”, “Poltergeist III”, “Contact”, “Tears of the Sun” and “Ted”.

On the small screen, Skerritt starred in the offbeat CBS series “Picket Fences” from 1992 to 1996, playing the sheriff of a Wisconsin town and claiming an Emmy in 1993 as outstanding lead actor in a drama series.

Born in Detroit on August 25, 1933, Skerritt served in the U.S. Air Force before becoming an actor, making his film debut opposite a young Redford in 1962’s “War Hunt.” He was the father of five children and was married three times.

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