Tom Skerritt, ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Picket Fences’ Actor, Dies at 93

Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-winning actor known for bringing steady, sardonic authority to roles ranging from a flight instructor in “Top Gun” to a tough but compassionate sheriff in television’s “Picket Fences” and the ill-fated captain of “Alien,” has died at 93.

Skerritt died Wednesday from natural causes, his family said. In a statement, they remembered him not only for his celebrated acting career but also for his “humor, curiosity, wisdom, generosity and the love he brought into our lives.” The family said he was deeply committed to imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world and helping others discover and share their voices.

He received two Emmy nominations for “Picket Fences” and won the award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 1993. His film credits also included “A River Runs Through It,” the patient husband of Shirley MacLaine’s character in “The Turning Point,” Sally Field’s husband in “Steel Magnolias” and a calculating opportunist who obstructs Jodie Foster’s efforts to make contact with extraterrestrial life in “Contact.”

“A writer once described me as a character actor locked in a leading man’s body, and I’ve always loved that,” Skerritt told The Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 1997. “It’s a nice compliment. I’ve been able to walk the line between television and features.”

Skerritt also worked extensively onstage. He narrated “Our Town” at Seattle’s Intiman Theatre in 2004 before making his Broadway debut in 2013 in an adaptation of John Grisham’s “A Time to Kill.” The Associated Press praised his performance as a “charming disgraced and drunken lawyer.”

He is survived by his wife, Julie; his children, Andy, Erin, Matt, Collin and Emiko; his grandchildren, Sara, Maddison, Sunny, Louisa and Georgia; and his great-grandchildren, Marigold and Ravi.

Skerritt’s family said his belief in storytelling extended beyond his performances. He helped establish TheFilmSchool in Seattle, an organization created to support emerging filmmakers and storytellers. That mission later grew to include the Red Badge Project, which he co-founded to help veterans address PTSD, anxiety and depression through writing and sharing their experiences.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.