Thomas Roy Skerritt (born August 25, 1933) is an American actor and director, who has appeared in over 170 film and television productions since 1962. The beginning of his film career coincided with the New Hollywood movement, with a breakthrough role as Duke Forrest in Robert Altman's M*A*S*H (1970). He then starred in notable films like The Turning Point (1977), Up in Smoke, Ice Castles (both 1978), Alien (1979), The Dead Zone (1983), Top Gun (1986), and A River Runs Through It (1992).
On television, Skerritt played the leading role of Sheriff Jimmy Brock on the family drama Picket Fences (1992–1996), earning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, as well as two Golden Globe Award nominations. He also had a recurring role as Evan Drake on the sixth season of sitcom Cheers (1987–1988).
Skerritt is also a three-time Screen Actors Guild Award nominee, a Genie Award nominee, an American Television Award nominee, and is both a Saturn Award and Western Heritage Award winner. In 2022, he received the International Press Academy's honorary Mary Pickford Award for "Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Entertainment Industry."
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 1951 graduate of Detroit's Mackenzie High School, Skerritt enlisted just after graduating from high school, serving 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.
After his service, Skerritt attended Henry Ford College and Wayne State University before entering the University of California, Los Angeles. He had initial interests in majoring in English but veered towards directing. It was his appearance in a production of The Rainmaker that got Skerritt noticed to act in his first feature film. He left UCLA without a degree to pursue an acting career.
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 (1970), Harold and Maude (credited as "M. Borman", 1971), Fuzz, Big Bad Mama, Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke (1978), Ice Castles (1978), as Captain Dallas in Alien (1979), as a would-be astronaut in Contact (1997) and SpaceCamp (1986), and in Top Gun (1986) 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 fishing-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" (Walston was a regular cast member thirty years later in Skerritt's show Picket Fences). He also guest-starred in the television series The Real McCoys (1963), as a letter carrier in the episode "Aunt Win Steps In". He was cast in Bonanza in 1964 and in 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" (1966), he played a young Roy Bean with his elder 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. In 1972, Skerritt guest-starred in an episode of Cannon, titled "Nobody Beats the House", playing the role of a young gambler. In 1975, he guest-starred in another episode of Cannon titled "The Conspirators", playing the role of a corrupt sheriff.
His agent, Meyer Mishkin, recounted in a 1978 Los Angeles Times profile that Skerritt was relegated to a series of obscure European westerns after his early 1970s film success. Mishkin took credit for obtaining for Skerritt his co-starring role in The Turning Point (1977), effectively salvaging his career, and earning him a Best Supporting Actor National Board of Review Award in the process.
Skerritt appeared in the ABC series Twelve O'Clock High (1964–1967, five episodes); Gunsmoke (1965–1972, also five episodes), and as Evan Drake on Cheers. He then appeared in CBS's Picket Fences (1992–1996), in the role of Sheriff Jimmy Brock, for which he won an Emmy Award.
He portrayed the deceased William Walker in Brothers & Sisters, having appeared in the pilot and several flashbacks scenes. This was his second time playing the husband of a character played by Sally Field; the first was in Steel Magnolias.
He played the role of Ezekiel in ABC Family's miniseries Fallen alongside Paul Wesley. 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 (2005), in which 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 his ex-Picket Fences co-star, Lauren Holly, to star with her in Field of Lost Shoes. He was reunited with his Alien co-star Harry Dean Stanton in Lucky, the latter's last film (2017).
In 1974, Skerritt portrayed Senator Robert Palmer in "The Devil's Platform", episode 7 of Kolchak: The Night Stalker.
Personal life Skerritt is founder and chairman of Heyou Media, a Seattle-based digital media company.
From 1957 to 1972, Skerritt was married to Charlotte Shanks, with whom he has three children. He was married to Sue Oran, with whom he has a son, from 1977 to 1992. Since 1996, he has been married to Julie Tokashiki. They have one daughter.
Filmography Films Year Title Role Notes Reference(s) 1962 War Hunt Sergeant Stan Showalter 1964 One Man's Way Leonard Peal (Grown) 1965 Those Calloways Whit Turner 1970 M*A*S*H Captain Augustus Bedford "Duke" Forrest 1971 Wild Rovers John Buckman Harold and Maude Motorcycle Officer Credited as M. Borman 1972 Fuzz Detective Bert Kling 1974 Thieves Like Us Dee Mobley Run, Run, Joe! Margherito Big Bad Mama Fred Diller 1975 The Devil's Rain Tom Preston 1976 Plot of Fear Chief Inspector Sexycop Rick Dylan 1977 The Turning Point Wayne Rodgers 1978 Up in Smoke Strawberry Ice Castles Marcus Winston 1979 Alien Captain Arthur Dallas 1981 A Dangerous Summer Howard Anderson Savage Harvest Casey Silence of the North Walter Reamer 1982 Fighting Back John D'Angelo 1983 The Dead Zone Sheriff George Bannerman 1986 Top Gun CDR Mike "Viper" Metcalf SpaceCamp Zach Bergstrom Opposing Force Logan Wisdom Lloyd Wisdom 1987 Maid to Order Charles Montgomery The Big Town Phil Carpenter 1988 Honor Bound Sam Cahill Poltergeist III Bruce Gardner 1989 Big Man on Campus Dr. Webster Steel Magnolias Drum Eatenton 1990 The Rookie Eugene Ackerman 1992 Poison Ivy Darryl Cooper Knight Moves Captain Frank Sedman Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue Ham McDonald Direct-to-video release A River Runs Through It Reverend John Maclean Singles Mayor Weber 1997 Contact David Drumlin 1998 Smoke Signals Police Chief 1999 The Other Sister Dr. Radley Tate 2001 Texas Rangers Richard Dukes 2002 Tuscaloosa Changing Hearts Johnny Pinkley Greenmail Tom Bradshaw Direct-to-video release 2003 Tears of the Sun Captain Bill Rhodes Swing George Verdi 2006 Bonneville Emmett Stephen King's Desperation Johnny Marinville 2007 The Velveteen Rabbit Horse 2008 Beer for My Horses Sheriff Wilson Landry 2009 Whiteout Dr. John Fury For Sale by Owner Clive Farrier Rivers of a Lost Coast Narrator 2010 Redemption Road Santa 2011 Your Love Never Fails Jack 2012 Ted Himself Soda Springs Walt Jackson Wings Colonel 2013 At Middleton Dr. Roland Emerson Redwood Highway Pete 2014 Field of Lost Shoes Ulysses S. Grant Wings: Sky Force Heroes Colonel 2016 A Hologram for the King Ron Clay 2017 Lucky Fred Day of Days Mr. Walter 2019 The Phantom 52 Trucker/Whale/Ghost Animated short film 2021 East of the Mountains Ben Givens Catch The Bullet Dex 2025 Broke Cliff
Television