Tom Skerritt


Thomas Roy Skerritt is an American actor who has appeared in more than forty films and more than two hundred television episodes since 1962. He is known for his film roles in M*A*S*H, Alien, The Dead Zone, Top Gun, A River Runs Through It, Up in Smoke, and the television series Picket Fences. Skerritt has earned several nominations and awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1993 for Picket Fences.

Early life

Skerritt was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Helen, a homemaker, and Roy Skerritt, a businessman. He is the youngest of three children. A 1953 graduate of Detroit's Mackenzie High School, Skerritt attended Wayne State University and the University of California, Los Angeles.
Skerritt enlisted just after graduating from high school, and served a four-year tour of duty in the United States Air Force as a classifications specialist. Most of his enlistment was spent at Bergstrom Field, Austin, Texas.

Career

Skerritt made his film debut in War Hunt, produced by Terry Sanders and released in 1962. Skerritt's notable film appearances include M*A*S*H, Harold and Maude, Big Bad Mama, Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke, Ice Castles, as Captain Dallas in Alien, as a would-be astronaut in Contact and SpaceCamp, and in Top Gun as Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf. In 1988, he starred with Nancy Allen and Lara Flynn Boyle in Poltergeist III. In 1989, he played the role of Thomas Drummond "Drum" Eatenton in Steel Magnolias. In 1992, he appeared in the critically acclaimed Robert Redford-directed film A River Runs Through It, playing a fly-fish loving minister and father of the two protagonist brothers in the film.
Skerritt played a guest part in Ray Walston's show My Favorite Martian in the 1963 episode "Mrs. Jekyll and Hyde". He also guest-starred in the television series The Real McCoys, as a letter carrier in the episode "Aunt Win Steps In". He was cast in Bonanza in 1964 and on Death Valley Days in 1965, as a young gambler, Patrick Hogan, who meets a tragic fate after winning a small fortune in a saloon. In another Death Valley Days episode, "A Sense of Justice", he played a young Roy Bean with his older brother, Joshua Bean, played by Tris Coffin. In a later Death Valley Days role, Skerritt played Mark Twain in the 1968 episode "Ten Day Millionaires", with Dabney Coleman as Twain's mining partner, Calvin H. Higby. The two lose a fortune in gold, but Twain learns his future is in writing.
Skerritt appeared in the ABC series Twelve O'Clock High, five episodes; Gunsmoke, and as Evan Drake on Cheers. He then appeared in CBS's Picket Fences, in the role of Sheriff Jimmy Brock, for which he won an Emmy Award. More recently, he has starred in Homeland Security and The Grid.
He portrayed the deceased William Walker on Brothers and Sisters, having appeared in the pilot as well as in several flashbacks scenes. This was his second time playing the husband of Sally Field, the first having been in Steel Magnolias.
He played the role of Ezekiel on ABC Family's miniseries Fallen. He also appeared as the guide on the showcase website for Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system. He lent his voice in the video game Gun, where he voices Clay Allison. He then guest-starred in seasons three and four of Leverage as Nate Ford's father.
In February 2012, Skerritt played the title role in Pacific Northwest Ballet's production of Don Quixote. In 2014, Skerritt was reunited with ex-Picket Fences co-star, Lauren Holly, to star with her in Field of Lost Shoes. He starred in his Alien co-star Harry Dean Stanton's final film Lucky.
Skerritt is founder and chairman of Heyou Media, a Seattle-based digital media company.

Personal life

Since 1988, he has divided his domestic life between his Lake Washington home in suburban Seattle, Washington, and a second home on Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands.
Skerritt's first wife, Charlotte, is the mother of Skerritt's three older children. His second wife, Sue, operates a Seattle bed and breakfast. She and Skerritt had one child, Colin. Skerritt has one daughter, Emi, with his current wife, Julie Tokashiki.

Filmography

Films

Television

Awards and nominations

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
DVD Exclusive Awards
Emmy Awards
Genie Awards
Golden Globe Awards
National Board of Review of Motion Pictures
Saturn Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Western Heritage Awards