Tom Skerritt, whose film and television career encompassed leading roles, supporting performances and memorable authority figures, died Wednesday of natural causes at 93, his family announced. Their statement remembered his humor, curiosity, generosity and love, highlighting his commitment to storytelling, veterans, nature and helping others express themselves. Julia Roberts, who portrayed his daughter in Steel Magnolias, posted a photograph of them and paid tribute to his gentleness. He is survived by his wife, Julie Tokashiki, and five children.
Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Skerritt served four years in the US Air Force before developing an interest in theater at UCLA. Initially drawn to directing, he made his film debut in the 1962 war movie War Hunt, which also marked Robert Redford's film debut. Robert Altman later cast him as Duke Forrest in M*A*S*H. His subsequent work ranged from playing Shirley MacLaine's husband in Turning Point to portraying a Presbyterian minister in A River Runs Through It.
In Ridley Scott's 1979 Alien, Skerritt's portrayal of Captain Dallas helped establish a seemingly conventional hero whose death partway through the film startled early audiences. As Dallas disappeared from the narrative, Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley emerged as its central hero. Skerritt's later authority figures included a flight instructor in Top Gun and a sheriff in Picket Fences. The latter brought him two Emmy nominations and the 1993 award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series. Moving between cinema and television, he combined leading-man presence with the versatility of a character actor.
