Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-winning actor whose career stretched from M*A*S*H and Alien to Top Gun and Picket Fences, died Wednesday, October 21, at the age of 93. His family said he died of natural causes after a career that included Steel Magnolias and A River Runs Through It. Disney fans may also remember him as Hayley Mills’ love interest in the 1986 Disney Channel movie The Parent Trap II.
A Career Spanning Six Decades
Born on August 25, 1933, in Detroit, Skerritt served in the U.S. Air Force before turning to acting. He studied at UCLA and made his film debut in 1962’s War Hunt, but it was Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H in 1970 that brought him wider recognition. In 1979, he played Captain Dallas, the doomed commander of the Nostromo, in Ridley Scott’s Alien. Seven years later, he took on his biggest role yet as Viper, Maverick’s flight instructor in Top Gun. He later won the 1993 Emmy for lead actor in a drama for playing Sheriff Jimmy Brock on Picket Fences. In all, he appeared in more than 170 film and TV productions.
His Disney Roles
Skerritt’s best-known Disney role came in 1986’s The Parent Trap II, which premiered on Disney Channel. He co-starred opposite Hayley Mills, who returned as grown-up twins Sharon and Susan 25 years after the original. Skerritt played Bill Grand, a single dad whose daughter teams up with Sharon’s daughter to play matchmaker. Decades earlier, he played Whit Turner in Walt Disney’s 1965 film Those Calloways, starring Brian Keith. Fittingly, Keith played the dad in the original Parent Trap. He also landed one of his first recurring roles on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Disney.
On ABC, he appeared as William Walker, the late family patriarch on Brothers & Sisters. The role marked his second time playing Sally Field’s husband, after Steel Magnolias. His classic Alien also now belongs to Disney through 20th Century Studios.
Remembered by His Family
In a statement, Skerritt’s family said, “We are heartbroken by his loss.” They added that while the world knew his acting, they knew his humor, curiosity, wisdom and generosity. Beyond acting, Skerritt helped establish TheFilmSchool in Seattle to support new storytellers. Skerritt leaves behind his wife, Julie, five children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
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