Tom Skerritt, star of Alien and Picket Fences, dies at 93

Tom Skerritt, whose six-decade acting career took him from the spaceship in “Alien” to the sheriff’s office in “Picket Fences,” has died at 93. His family said he died Wednesday of natural causes.

“We are heartbroken by his loss,” the family said in a statement provided to CBS News. “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.”

Skerritt played Captain Dallas opposite Sigourney Weaver in the 1979 science-fiction film “Alien.” In 1986’s “Top Gun,” he was Commander Mike “Viper” Metcalf, an instructor to Tom Cruise’s character. Addressing his students, Viper declared, “Gentlemen, you are the top 1% of all Naval aviators. The elite. The best of the best. We’ll make you better.”

On television, Skerritt starred as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in David E. Kelley’s “Picket Fences,” set in the fictional community of Rome, Wisconsin. The series ran from 1992 to 1996. Skerritt received two Emmy nominations for the role and won outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 1993. The BBC reported that he also received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for male actor in a drama series in 1995.

His film roles included a part in the original “MAS*H,” Shirley MacLaine’s husband in “The Turning Point,” Sally Field’s husband in “Steel Magnolias” and the Rev. John Maclean in “A River Runs Through It.” He also appeared in “Contact,” “The Dead Zone,” “Up in Smoke” and “Ted.” His television work included recurring roles on “Cheers,” “Brothers and Sisters” and “Leverage.”

Skerritt grew up in Detroit and spent four years in the Air Force. He attended Wayne State University before studying filmmaking at the University of California, Los Angeles, according to CBS News. A Los Angeles stage performance led to his film debut in the 1962 Korean War drama “War Hunt,” which also marked Robert Redford’s film debut. Redford later directed Skerritt in “A River Runs Through It.”

Skerritt continued working onstage, appearing in “Our Town” at Seattle’s Intiman Theatre in 2004 and making his Broadway debut in an adaptation of “A Time to Kill” in 2013, CBS News reported. He also directed and starred in the 1997 television movie “Divided by Hate.”

Outside acting, Skerritt co-founded TheFilmSchool in Seattle to support emerging filmmakers and storytellers, according to the BBC. NPR reported that he also co-founded The Red Badge Project, which offers storytelling courses to veterans. His family said he would be remembered “for his belief that stories can help people heal, find purpose, and create change.”

He is survived by his third wife, Julie Tokashiki, and five children, CBS News reported.