Thomas Roy "Tom" Skerritt^[1] (born August 25, 1933) is an Emmy Award-winning American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962.

Biography

Career

Skerritt made his television debut in 1962 in Combat! and his film debut in War Hunt, produced by Terry Sanders and released the same year. Skerritt's notable film appearances include M*A*S*H (1970; his huge role was pared down enormously by director Robert Altman), Harold and Maude (credited as "M. Borman") (1971), Big Bad Mama, Cheech & Chongs Up In Smoke (1978), as Captain A.J. Dallas of the commercial towing vessel 'Nostromo' in Alien (1979), as an astronaut in Contact (1997) and SpaceCamp (1986), and in Top Gun (1986), where he played opposite Tom Cruise as Cmdr. Mike "Viper" Metcalf.

He was the Rev. MacLean in A River Runs Through It (1992). He was in the movie Poison Ivy (1992) with Drew Barrymore and also played a sheriff in The Dead Zone, a movie based on a Stephen King novel. He appeared as Evan Drake in the television sitcom Cheers, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and starred in the television series Picket Fences (1992–1996). More recently, Skerritt has starred in Homeland Security and The Grid which is a Fox/BBC co-production. Both of these latter projects dealt with counter-terrorism.

He also portrays the deceased William Walker on Brothers & Sisters, having appeared in the pilot as well as in several flashbacks since. This is his second time playing the husband of Sally Field, the first being his role in the film Steel Magnolias. Recently, he has played the role of Ezekiel on ABC Family's Fallen miniseries. He appears as the guide on the showcase website for Microsoft's new operating system called Windows Vista. He recently appeared on Adult Swim's Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, where the duo sang a jingle for him."I want Tom Skerritt, I don't want Brad Garrett," they sang. He expressed disappointment as he said "You didn't do a good job".

Personal life

Skerritt was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Helen, a homemaker, and Roy Skerritt, who worked in business.^[2][3] A 1951 graduate of Detroit's Mackenzie High School, Skerritt attended Wayne State University and the University of California at Los Angeles. Since 1988, he has divided his domestic life between his Lake Washington home in suburban Seattle, Washington and a home on Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands. Skerritt has grown children (three sons and one daughter).

References

External links

• TomSkerritt.com
• Kelly Video

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