Tom Skerritt, the prolific actor who rose to fame for his portrayal of Captain Augustus Bedford “Duke” Forrest in M*A*S*H, died of natural causes on Wednesday, according to a statement from his family obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. He was 93.
Born on August 25, 1933, Skerritt got his start as an actor after being discovered while performing in a student play at UCLA. While many folks would likely recognize Skerritt for his mainstream roles such as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in Picket Fences, Drum Eatenton in Steel Magnolias, and Commander Mike “Viper” Metcalf in Top Gun, he also starred in many science fiction and horror films over his 60-year career. He was the flamethrower-wielding Captain Arthur Dallas in Alien; Carol Anne’s uncle Bruce in Poltergeist III; the alien skeptic Dr. David Drumlin in Contact; and author Johnny Marinville in Stephen King’s Desperation, among many others.
Despite his success, Skerritt didn’t find Hollywood to be an especially welcoming place for young actors and filmmakers. “We never fully trusted the studio approach to things,” Skerritt once told Henry Ford College. “The problem was the exclusion of young, promising, independent filmmakers. We used to talk about that a lot in the 1960s. How do you find these young filmmakers? How you support them? How you develop them? Hollywood was not the place to do that. You have to come in as a recognized entity to break into the business in Hollywood.” That “we” he keeps referencing is Robert Redford, with whom he starred in his first film, 1962’s War Hunt, and who would go on to found the Sundance Institute to better support independent filmmakers. In 2003, Skerritt launched a similar venture when he co-founded TheFilmSchool, a Seattle-based nonprofit film program that ultimately closed its doors in 2019.
In their statement, Skerritt’s family said, “We are heartbroken by his loss. 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. He cared deeply about imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world, and helping others find and share their own voices.”
Skerritt is survived by his wife, Julie Tokashiki, five children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He will be dearly missed.
Want more io9 news? Check out the best movies and TV shows to stream this month and all the upcoming sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books that should be on your radar.
