Tom Skerritt

Skerritt married Charlotte Shanks in 1957 and had three children, Andy, Erin, and Matt. The couple divorced in 1972. In 1977, he married Sue Oran, who ran a bed-and-breakfast inn. They had a son, Colin. However, the relationship ended in 1992. He then met his current wife, Julie Tokashiki, and got married for the third time, in 1998. The couple has adopted a daughter, and he divides his time between his Lake Washington residence and his home on Lopez Island, which is part of the San Luan Islands.

Thomas Roy Skerritt was born on August 25, 1933, in Detroit, Michigan, US, to Helen and Roy Skerritt. His father was a businessman, and his mother was a homemaker. He had two other siblings who were older than him.

He graduated from ‘Mackenzie High School’ in 1951 and then attended ‘Wayne State University’ and the ‘University of California, Los Angeles’ (UCLA). He was first noticed in a university production of ‘The Rainmaker.’ He joined the ‘United States Air Force,’ where he served for four years before taking up acting as a profession.

He made his big-screen debut alongside Robert Redford, as ‘Sergeant Stan Showalter’ in the 1962 film ‘War Hunt,’ directed by Denis Sanders. His experience with the armed forces helped him get a role in the 1970 American black-comedy war film ‘MASH,’ which became an instant hit. This was closely followed by his appearance in ‘Harold and Maude’ in 1971.

In 1972, he played the role of ‘Detective Bert Kling,’ in the action comedy ‘Fuzz,’ directed by Richard A. Colla. He then took a short break from movies, and returned in 1974 with four movies, including ‘Big Bad Mama’ and ‘The Night Stalker.’

He played the significant role of ‘Wayne Rodgers’ in the drama ‘The Turning Point,’ which was nominated for eleven ‘Academy Awards,’ including the ‘Best Picture’ in 1977. He starred in the science-fiction horror ‘Alien’ in 1979 and proved himself to be a versatile actor in the role of ‘Captain Dallas,’ the captain and the only human crew member of a space ship.

During the 1980s, he appeared in a number of popular films, including ‘Silence of the North’ and ‘Maid to Order.’ The romantic military action–drama ‘Top Gun,’ which released in 1986, featured him alongside Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis.

He played the role of ‘Darryl Cooper’ in the 1992 thriller–drama movie ‘Poison Ivy,’ directed by Katt Shea, alongside Drew Barrymore and Sara Gilbert. He was also seen in the coming-of-age drama ‘A River Runs Through It,’ directed by Robert Redford the same year.

His most noteworthy films include ‘MASH’ (1970), ‘Big Bad Mama’ (1974), ‘The Turning Point’ (1977), ‘Alien’ (1979), ‘Silence of the North’ (1981), ‘Top Gun’ (1986), ‘Maid to Order’ (1987), ‘The Rookie’ (1990), ‘Poison Ivy’ (1992), ‘A River Runs Through It’ (1992), ‘Texas Rangers’ (2001), and ‘Redwood Highway’ (2013).

His major TV appearances have been for the series ‘Combat’ (1962 – 1967), ‘The Virginian’ (1962– 1971), ‘Death Valley Days’ (1963–1968), ‘Twelve O’Clock High’ (1964–1967), ‘Gunsmoke’ (1965–1972), ‘The F.B.I.’ (1966–1972), ‘Cannon’ (1971–1975), ‘Cheers’ (1987–1988), ‘Picket Fences’ (1992–1996), ‘Huff’ (2006) and ‘Brothers & Sisters’ (2006–2008).