# RIP Tom Skerritt, 93 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [October 22, 2026, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077 "2026-10-22T20:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/1 "2026-10-22T20:55:09Z")
> **[Tom Skerritt, Emmy-winning actor with roles in 'Picket Fences,' 'Alien' and...](https://apnews.com/article/tom-skerritt-dies-598ccdd4849ea7fe3b72b71319a4ef9b)** > > An Emmy-winning actor known for roles in “Top Gun” and “Picket Fences,” Tom Skerritt has died at 93. His family said in a statement he died Wednesday of natural causes. One of the great character actors. Here’s a great interview he did five years ago > **[Tom Skerritt Has a Story to Tell](https://www.vulture.com/2021/10/tom-skerritt-has-a-story-to-tell.html?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6ImVKWUx2bllOS0MiLCJwIjoiLzIwMjEvMTAvdG9tLXNrZXJyaXR0LWhhcy1hLXN0b3J5LXRvLXRlbGwuaHRtbCIsImV4cCI6MTc5MzkwNzAzMCwiaWF0IjoxNzkyNjk3NDMwfQ.Pmn4vptaGZQcfOjwB0C3hO7jGmBnFde4rONTvtHvjA4&utm_medium=gift_link)** > > On Orson Welles, his own regrets, and what makes a heart keep beating. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/2 "2026-10-22T20:56:40Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > One of the great character actors. Here’s a great interview he did five years ago He had a good run. Definitely one of those actors who I always liked to see even if I didn’t always like what he was in. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/3 "2026-10-22T21:16:20Z")
Ah, that’s too bad. I was always happy to see him on TV or in movies. My only problem with him was that I always confused him with Anthony Zerbe. ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/4 "2026-10-22T21:22:16Z")
Nice story! I always liked him. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/5 "2026-10-22T22:54:21Z")
He was good in **Picket Fences** , but what bothered me wasn’t the weird stuff (suing the Pope, bussing kids from Green Bay, Sheriff serving on Jury, etc.) it was that the Sheriff (which an elected county-wide position) taking orders\* from the mayor (which is a city wide position). Not sure how often the Sheriff had anything outside Rome (not sure there were any other population centers in Hogan county). Note that most (though not all) county seats in Wisconsin have their own police force. \* requests I could see, but IIRC it was more like orders (again IIRC) Brian ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/6 "2026-10-23T12:16:16Z")
One of my favorites. Would love to have seen him reprise his role as Sheriff Bannerman (from **The Dead Zone** ) in **Cujo**. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/7 "2026-10-23T13:02:17Z")
Having gone into **Alien** with zero foreknowledge of what would happen (besides knowing that in space no one can hear you scream), I picked him early as the hero who would survive the movie. I was utterly shocked when he was killed. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/8 "2026-10-23T13:08:22Z")
His role as Sheriff Bannerman is exactly what I came here to post about. This was one of the most faithful King adaptations (IMHO) and Skerritt absolutely nailed it in a critical supporting role. I would have loved to have seen him carried over to some other adaptations. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/9 "2026-10-23T13:45:31Z")
🎵 Oh, he wasn’t just _killed_… 🎶 😳 ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/10 "2026-10-23T14:11:32Z")
That depends on whether you only watched the 1982 movie or read the book/watched the deleted scenes/watched the directors cut ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/11 "2026-10-23T14:13:00Z")
I saw something this morning that said he was 71, which caused reflection on mortality since I’m 72. But 93 is a good run. Still sad news - I liked his work. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/12 "2026-10-24T00:56:04Z")
Great actor. The first movie, after _Alien_, that popped into my mind was _A River Runs Through It_. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/13 "2026-10-24T06:05:40Z")
He was a sneaky weasel in MASH. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-skerritt-93/1034077/14 "2026-10-24T14:46:26Z")
He was excellent in MASH, a role people forget because the character was left off the TV show. But he had my favorite line in the movie: “Fair’s fair, Henry. If I nail Hotlips and punch Hawkeye, do I get to go home, too?”