US actor Tom Skerritt, who starred in Picket Fences, Mash and Alien, dies aged 93

Tom Skerritt, the US actor whose six-decade career ran from the sci-fi classic Alien to the beloved television drama Picket Fences, has died at 93, the BBC reports. His family said he died of natural causes on Wednesday.

Born in Detroit on 25 August 1933, Skerritt made his film debut in 1962 alongside a young Robert Redford in War Hunt. His breakthrough came as wisecracking US army surgeon Duke Forrest in the 1970 film Mash, which was nominated for five Academy Awards.

He later starred opposite Sigourney Weaver in the 1979 classic Alien, which earned two Oscar nominations. Skerritt recalled the shoot fondly, telling the BBC the cast had "immediate rapport with each other" and that "it is spontaneity and impulse that make the difference" — a line he felt summed up the film.

Skerritt also appeared with Shirley MacLaine in The Turning Point (1977), played a role in A River Runs Through It, and flew as Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf in the 1986 classic Top Gun.

On television, he won an Emmy in 1993 for playing Sheriff Jimmy Brock in David E. Kelley's Picket Fences, a role that also brought Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for the show's ensemble cast.

Beyond acting, Skerritt helped found TheFilmSchool in Seattle and created the documentary series Reflections of the River. His family said he will be remembered "for his belief that stories can help people heal."