Actor Tom Skerritt of ‘Steel Magnolias,” “Top Gun,” dies at 93

Prolific actor Tom Skerritt died Wednesday from natural causes. He was 93.

Skerritt’s “heartbroken” family said, though fans knew him for his work on films including “Alien,” “Top Gun,” and “Steel Magnolias,” they’ll remember him for all he brought to the lives of his loved ones.

“He cared deeply about imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world and helping others find and share their own voices,” they said in a statement confirming his death.

Long before playing one of Tom Cruise’s flight instructor’s in “Top Gun,” Skerritt spent four years in the U.S. Air Force. He then went to the University of California, Los Angeles to study film.

While he hoped to direct movies, Skerritt told The Ottawa Citizen in 1992 that the acting roles simply kept coming and he had a family to support.

“The years flew by and there was a time when I said I would give up acting and really try to get into directing,” he said. “But it hasn’t worked out that way and I have no regrets.”

The often mustached actor appeared in dozens of films dating back to 1962’s “War Hunt,” which starred Robert Redford, whom he’d team up with again in 1992’s “A River Runs Through It.”

The pair became good friends.

“His values were close to mine, and he kept his integrity,” Redford told the Seattle Times in 2007.

On the small screen, Skerritt appeared on more than 80 episodes of the television series “Picket Fences.” His work on that series was rewarded with a 1993 Emmy Award.

His credits also include appearances on “My Favorite Martian,” “Combat!” “Gunsmoke” and “Bonanza,” according to IMDb.

He was raised in Detroit, Mich., with two brothers and a sister who died during childhood. Skerritt divorced twice and is survived by his third wife, Julie Tokashiki, whom he met while working on “Picket Fences,” according to People. They married in 1998. He leaves behind five children.

With News Wire Services