• Faith: Unknown
• Career: Actor
• Birthday:  August 25, 1933
• Date of Death:  October 21, 2026

Tom Skerritt was an American actor and director best known for his roles in M*A*S*H, Alien, Top Gun, Steel Magnolias, and the television drama Picket Fences. With a career spanning more than six decades, Skerritt appeared in over 170 film and television productions. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance in Picket Fences and became one of Hollywood's most recognizable character actors. Skerritt died on October 21, 2026, at age 93.

Thomas Roy Skerritt was born on August 25, 1933, in Detroit, Michigan. He was the youngest of three children born to Roy Skerritt, a businessman, and Helen Skerritt, a homemaker.

Skerritt graduated from Mackenzie High School in 1951 and enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving four years as a classifications specialist. Much of his military service took place at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, Texas.

Following his discharge, he attended Henry Ford College and Wayne State University before enrolling at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Initially interested in English and filmmaking, Skerritt became involved in acting after appearing in a university production of The Rainmaker. He eventually left UCLA to pursue an acting career.

Skerritt made his film debut in the 1962 war drama War Hunt, which also featured Robert Redford. Throughout the 1960s, he built his career through television appearances on popular series including Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Combat!, and The Virginian.

His breakthrough came in 1970 when he portrayed Captain Augustus "Duke" Forrest in Robert Altman's acclaimed military comedy M*A*S*H. The film helped establish Skerritt as a versatile supporting actor.

During the 1970s, he appeared in The Turning Point (1977), Up in Smoke (1978), and Ice Castles (1978). In 1979, he played Captain Arthur Dallas in Ridley Scott's science-fiction horror classic Alien, one of his most recognizable film roles.

Skerritt continued finding success throughout the 1980s, portraying Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf opposite Tom Cruise in Top Gun (1986). He also appeared in The Dead Zone (1983), Poltergeist III (1988), and Steel Magnolias (1989), playing the husband of Sally Field's character.

In 1992, Skerritt portrayed Reverend Maclean, a Presbyterian minister and father, in Robert Redford's A River Runs Through It.

That same year, he began starring as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in the CBS drama Picket Fences. The series ran from 1992 to 1996 and earned Skerritt the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1993.

His later credits included Contact (1997), Brothers & Sisters, Leverage, and Lucky (2017). He also performed onstage, making his Broadway debut in a 2013 adaptation of John Grisham's A Time to Kill.

In 2022, Skerritt received the International Press Academy's Mary Pickford Award recognizing his contributions to entertainment.

Skerritt was married three times. His first marriage was to Charlotte Shanks from 1957 to 1972, and they had three children. He married Sue Oran in 1977, and they had one son before divorcing in 1992.

He later married Julie Tokashiki, with whom he had a daughter, Emiko. Skerritt had five children in total.

A longtime resident of the Seattle area, Skerritt was involved in filmmaking and digital media ventures, including Heyou Media. He also co-founded the Red Badge Project, an organization helping military veterans process their experiences through storytelling and creative writing.

Tom Skerritt died of natural causes on October 21, 2026, at age 93. He was survived by his wife, Julie Tokashiki, five children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Tom Skerritt's Religious Beliefs

Tom Skerritt's personal religious beliefs and spiritual affiliations were not publicly established. There is no widely documented confirmation that he identified with a particular religion, Christian denomination, or organized faith.

Although Skerritt portrayed religious characters, including Reverend Maclean in A River Runs Through It, these performances do not establish his personal beliefs.

Skerritt did not publicly discuss religion extensively, and available biographical accounts provide limited information about his spiritual upbringing or personal faith. His religious affiliation therefore remains unknown.