The flight instructor who sent Maverick into the skies in “Top Gun” has died, and his family is remembering the work he did off-screen helping veterans tell their stories.
Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-winning actor known for “Top Gun,” “M*A*S*H” and the CBS drama “Picket Fences,” died of natural causes Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. He was 93. His publicist confirmed the death.
His family called him an actor relatives knew for his humor, curiosity, wisdom and generosity. “We are heartbroken by his loss,” the family said in a statement.
“Tom will be remembered not only for the characters he brought to life, but also for his belief that stories can help people heal, find purpose, and create change,” the family said. The statement added, “His talent, integrity, curiosity, and compassion made a lasting impact on his family, his profession, and the many communities he worked to support.”
Relatives said they would share memorial information at a later date.
The Role He Said No To
Skerritt first refused “Alien,” then a $2 million project with no director attached. He changed his mind, and Ridley Scott’s 1979 film gave him top billing as Capt. Dallas of the Nostromo, ahead of Sigourney Weaver. The movie earned two Oscar nominations and launched a franchise of sequels, prequels and spin-offs.
Seven years later, Tony Scott cast him as Cmdr. Mike “Viper” Metcalf, chief instructor at Miramar Naval Air Station’s top gun school, where Tom Cruise’s Maverick trained in the 1986 blockbuster “Top Gun.”
Skerritt was born Aug. 25, 1933, in Detroit. He served a four-year tour of duty in the U.S. Air Force before pursuing acting work, and he made his film debut in the 1962 war drama “War Hunt” alongside Robert Redford and Sydney Pollack. More than 170 big- and small-screen credits followed.
His breakthrough came in Robert Altman’s 1970 satire “M*A*S*H,” as Capt. Augustus “Duke” Forrest, one of the insubordinate Army surgeons. He took third billing, after Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould and ahead of Sally Kellerman and Robert Duvall. The film drew five Academy Award nominations, including best picture, and was adapted for television two years later.
Sheriff Jimmy Brock Wins Gold
Skerritt played Sheriff Jimmy Brock on David E. Kelley’s “Picket Fences” for four seasons, from 1992 to 1996. He won the Primetime Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama series at the 45th annual ceremony on Sept. 19, 1993, in Pasadena, Calif. His co-star Kathy Baker won for lead actress the same night.
He was nominated again in 1994. He shared Screen Actors Guild ensemble nominations in 1995 and 1996, and picked up a SAG nomination for male actor in a drama series in 1995.
Television kept him busy. He did a six-episode stint on “Cheers” as Evan Drake, Rebecca Howe’s boss, guest-starred on “The West Wing” as a senator and played a biased judge on “Law & Order: SVU.” On HBO’s “Huff,” he played the father of Hank Azaria’s title character, replacing Robert Forster. He turned up on “Will & Grace” in the 2000s, held a recurring role as patriarch William Walker on ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters,” and appeared on “The Good Wife” in 2014 and “Madam Secretary” in 2015.
A Character Actor in a Leading Man’s Body
Skerritt described his own place in the business in a 1997 interview. “A writer once described me as a character actor locked in a leading man’s body, and I’ve always loved that,” he said.
He played Shirley MacLaine’s husband in Herbert Ross’ 1977 ballet drama “The Turning Point,” winning the National Board of Review’s best supporting actor award. He played Sally Field’s husband in 1989’s “Steel Magnolias,” opposite Julia Roberts and Dolly Parton, and the Presbyterian minister father to Brad Pitt and Craig Sheffer in Redford’s 1992 film “A River Runs Through It.” In “Contact,” he was David Drumlin, the scheming opportunist blocking Jodie Foster.
His other credits ranged from an uncredited motorcycle cop in “Harold and Maude” to Altman’s “Thieves Like Us,” “Big Bad Mama,” “The Devil’s Rain” with Ernest Borgnine and William Shatner, Strawberry in “Up in Smoke,” David Cronenberg’s “The Dead Zone,” “SpaceCamp,” “Poltergeist III,” “Poison Ivy” and “Tears of the Sun.” He played himself in a cameo in Seth MacFarlane’s 2012 comedy “Ted.”
He made his Broadway debut in 2013, in an adaptation of John Grisham’s “A Time to Kill.” Nine years earlier he narrated “Our Town” at Seattle’s Intiman Theatre. His last film role came in the 2025 western drama “Broke,” opposite Dennis Quaid.
Helping Veterans Write It Down
Seattle served as the base for his off-camera work. “Tom believed deeply in the power of storytelling. He helped found TheFilmSchool in Seattle to support the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers,” the family said, adding, “That commitment later extended to the Red Badge Project, which he co-founded to help veterans work through PTSD, anxiety, and depression by writing and sharing their experiences.”
He created the documentary series “Reflections of the River” and championed river conservation, an interest sparked in part by filming “A River Runs Through It.” His family said of him, “He cared deeply about imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world and helping others find and share their own voices.”
His third wife, Julie Tokashiki, survives him, along with his children, Andy, Erin, Matt, Colin and Emiko. He also leaves five grandchildren — Sara, Maddison, Sunny, Louisa and Georgia — and two great-grandchildren, Marigold and Ravi.
Granddaughter Maddison Garcia later shared photos from what she called her last FaceTime call with him. “We all miss you so much it hurts,” she wrote on Instagram.
