Tom Skerritt, born Thomas Roy Skerritt in Detroit on 25 August 1933, began his career in the US Air Force, where he served from 1951 to 1955 before making his film debut in War Hunt in 1962.
His breakthrough role came at the age of 38, when he portrayed Duke Forrest in the acclaimed film M*A*S*H, following a series of smaller roles in productions such as Bonanza and The Real McCoys.
Skerritt later starred as Captain Dallas in the science fiction classic Alien, and became widely known to a new generation as Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun. In 1993, he received an Emmy Award for his leading role in the television series Picket Fences.
Skerritt was married three times and had five children. He passed away at his home in Seattle on 21 October, aged 93.
