Tom Skerritt: The actor known for memorable roles in Alien and TV
Career-defining screen roles
His film work included playing the captain of the Nostromo in Alien and appearing as Shirley MacLaine’s husband in The Turning Point and Sally Field’s husband in Steel Magnolias. In Contact, he played an opportunist who opposed Jodie Foster’s effort to communicate with extraterrestrial life.
A path into acting
Skerritt grew up in Detroit in a middle-class family. His father was a small businessman, his mother a housewife, and he had two brothers; a sister died in childhood.
He served four years in the Air Force and attended Wayne State University before transferring to the University of California, Los Angeles, to study filmmaking. He said a viewing of Citizen Kane inspired that interest.
Stage work and later projects
Although directing and writing had been his initial ambition, his career largely took him in front of the camera. He directed and starred in the 1997 television movie Divided by Hate.
Key points
- Tom Skerritt died at 93, his publicist confirmed to CBS News.
- He won an Emmy for his role in Picket Fences.
- His credits included Alien, Top Gun, The Turning Point, Steel Magnolias and Contact.
- Skerritt served four years in the Air Force and studied filmmaking at UCLA.