Overview
- Skerritt’s family announced that he died of natural causes on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, and asked for privacy as they grieve.
- He won the 1993 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for Picket Fences and is best known for roles in Alien and Top Gun.
- Over more than six decades he amassed well over 150 screen credits, moving between major films, television series and stage work.
- Before acting he served four years in the U.S. Air Force and studied at Wayne State and UCLA before making his film debut in 1962.
- Off screen he co-founded TheFilmSchool and the Red Badge Project to support emerging storytellers and veterans, and he is survived by his wife Julie Tokashiki, five children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.