Tom Skerritt, Alien and Top Gun Star, Dies at 93

Tom Skerritt, the veteran actor renowned for playing Dallas in the original 1979 film Alien, has died at 93.

The actor died Wednesday from natural causes, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“We are heartbroken by his loss,” Skerritt’s family said in a statement shared with the publication.

“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,” his family added.

“He cared deeply about imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world and helping others find and share their own voices.”

Skerritt, who was the father of five children, married his third wife, Julie Tokashiki, in 1998.

Over a six-decade career, Skerritt appeared in a wide range of acclaimed films. His most enduring role was arguably Dallas, the captain of the Nostromo, in Ridley Scott’s landmark science-fiction film Alien.

Alien became a defining work of science-fiction cinema and spawned a franchise that included Aliens, Alien 3, Alien: Resurrection and the 2024 release Alien: Romulus.

Although Skerritt did not appear in the film sequels, he returned to the role of Dallas in the 2014 video game Alien: Isolation, which has been widely praised as one of the greatest video games ever made.

He also appeared opposite Tom Cruise in the original Top Gun, playing Mike “Viper” Metcalf.

His other notable credits included Steel Magnolias, Robert Redford’s A River Runs Through It and The Turning Point, the 1977 film that received 11 Academy Award nominations.

Among his early standout performances was Captain Augustus “Duke” Forrest in Robert Altman’s 1970 war film M*A*S*H.

Skerritt was equally prolific on television, winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the family drama Picket Fences.

He joined the cast of the hit sitcom Cheers in 1987 during its sixth season, portraying Evan Drake, one of the Lillian Corporation’s bosses.

He also appeared in Brothers & Sisters, The West Wing, Will & Grace, Roseanne, Cannon, and The Twilight Zone.  

Skerritt even had a theatre career, appearing as the narrator in a 2004 production of Our Town at Seattle’s Intiman Theatre.

He made his Broadway debut in 2013 in a stage adaptation of John Grisham’s A Time to Kill.

His later screen work included the 2025 Western drama Broke, starring Wyatt Russell and Dennis Quaid. 

In addition to his Emmy, Skerritt is a three-time SAG Award nominee and is both a Saturn Award and Western Heritage Award winner. 

In 2022, he received the International Press Academy’s honorary Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Entertainment Industry.

He shared three children with his first wife Charlotte Shanks, whom he split from in 1972. 

Skerritt went on to marry Sue Oran from 1977 to 1992, and they had one son together.

He also has a daughter with his third and final wife Julie Tokashiki.

Away from acting, Skerritt supported military veterans and helped establish the Red Badge Project, an organisation that uses storytelling and creative writing to assist veterans.

Skerritt is survived by his wife, his five children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.