Tom Skerritt, the American actor known for Top Gun, Alien and the TV drama Picket Fences, died on 21 October 2026 at the age of 93. VnExpress said he died of old age and, citing The Hollywood Reporter, that his family confirmed he passed away on 21 October; Tuổi Trẻ, citing Variety, gave the same date and age.
In a statement carried by VnExpress in Vietnamese, the family said that while the public knew Tom as a gifted performer, to those close to him he embodied humour, curiosity, intelligence, generosity and love.
From the Air Force to Hollywood
Born in Detroit in 1933, Skerritt joined the US Air Force in 1951 and served four years. VnExpress says he lacked the skills to become a pilot and worked as a classification specialist at Bergstrom base in Texas. He then studied English at Wayne State University before moving to the University of California with plans to become a writer-director. Acting classes, taken to overcome his shyness, led to his screen debut in War Hunt (1962), a Korean War drama. He later said, as VnExpress reported, that taking small roles was the best way to learn how films are really made.
The roles that defined him
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | War Hunt | Screen debut |
| 1970 | MAS*H, dir. Robert Altman | Duke Forrest |
| 1977 | The Turning Point | Husband to Shirley MacLaine's character |
| 1979 | Alien, dir. Ridley Scott | Arthur Dallas, the ship's commander |
| 1986 | Top Gun | Mike Viper Metcalf, mentor to Maverick |
| 1992 | A River Runs Through It, dir. Robert Redford | Reverend John Maclean |
| 1992–1996 | Picket Fences | Sheriff Jimmy Brock |
According to VnExpress he first turned Alien down, fearing the budget would vanish into effects, but changed his mind after seeing Ridley Scott's debut The Duellists. Tuổi Trẻ notes that his Top Gun character acts as a father figure to Tom Cruise's Maverick and reveals the truth about the heroic death of Maverick's father. Picket Fences brought him the 1993 Emmy for lead actor in a drama series.
He also appeared in Cheers, The West Wing and The Good Wife, and took a rare late-career lead in East of the Mountains (2021). Off screen he helped found TheFilmSchool in Seattle and co-founded the Red Badge Project, which helps veterans cope with post-traumatic stress through writing.
Family
Skerritt married three times and had five children: three with his first wife Charlotte Shanks (1957–1972), a son with Sue Oran (married 1977, separated 1992) and a daughter with Julie Tokashiki, his partner since 1996. Neither source gives the place of death or funeral plans.