Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-winning actor known for Picket Fences, Top Gun and Alien, died of natural causes on October 21, 2026, his family said. He was 93.

Key Takeaways

  • Skerritt won an Emmy in 1993 for his role as a sheriff in Picket Fences.
  • His film roles included a flight instructor in Top Gun and the captain of the Nostromo in Alien.

Tom Skerritt’s television and film career

Skerritt received two Emmy nominations for Picket Fences, winning outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 1993. He played a sheriff alongside Kathy Baker, whose character was his doctor wife, in the series set in Rome, Wisconsin.

His film career included roles in The Turning Point, Steel Magnolias and Contact. In Alien, he played the captain of the spacecraft Nostromo; in Top Gun, he played an instructor to Tom Cruise’s character.

Skerritt also appeared on television in Brothers and Sisters, Leverage and Cheers. Onstage, he narrated Our Town at Seattle’s Intiman Theatre in 2004 and made his Broadway debut in A Time to Kill in 2013.

Early life and family

Skerritt grew up in Detroit and spent four years in the Air Force. He attended Wayne State University before moving to the University of California, Los Angeles, to study filmmaking.

A Los Angeles theater production of The Rainmaker led to his first film role, as a sergeant in the 1962 Korean War film War Hunt. He later directed and starred in the 1997 television movie Divided by Hate.

In a statement, his family remembered his humor, curiosity, wisdom and generosity. He is survived by his wife, Julie Tokashiki, and five children.

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