AP: Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-Winning Actor of Picket Fences and Top Gun, Dies at 93

A family statement

Tom Skerritt, the Emmy winning actor known for Top Gun, Picket Fences and Alien, has died at 93, The Associated Press reported.

His family said in a statement that he died Wednesday of natural causes.

A long run of steady roles

AP described a career built on solid, wry authority figures, from the flight instructor in Top Gun to the doomed captain in Alien and the sheriff on Picket Fences, which earned him an Emmy in 1993. Film audiences knew him from Turning Point, Steel Magnolias and Contact, and he also worked on stage in productions including Our Town.

What the record shows

The statement said he cared about storytelling, service, veterans and the natural world. The family asked for privacy and said memorial information will be shared at a later date.