Tom Skerritt Bio

[Tracy]

Tom Skerritt
was born on August 25, 1933 in Detroit, Michigan.

Tom attended Wayne State University and UCLA, and was first noticed in a UCLA production of "The Rainmaker" before making his movie debut in War Hunt in 1962.


cap from War Hunt, 1962

He spent most of the next decade in television with more than 100 appearances on shows such as Combat!, Wagon Train, The Real McCoys, My Three Sons, The Time Tunnel, The Fugitive, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, Gunsmoke, and 12 O'Clock High. In 1963, he guest starred in Laramie, and in 1964, he made his second of six appearances in The Virginian.


cap from Laramie, 1963


Tracycap from The Virginian, 1964

Tom also appeared on Bonanza in 1964, playing Jerry in Thanks For Everything, Friend.


Tracycap from Thanks For Everything, Friend

Tom's next big break was appearing alongside Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould in Robert Altman's MASH in 1970.


cap from MASH, 1970

Here's Tom in 1971's Wild Rovers.


cap from Wild Rovers, 1971

Tom continued appearing in television, with guest roles in shows like Canon, Kolchak, Barnaby Jones, SWAT, and again, in Bonanza's The Hunter - the last episode of Bonanza.


Tracycap from The Hunter

After several more movies, in 1979, Tom landed the plum role of Capt. Dallas of the ill-fated commercial towing vehicle Nostromo in the creepy sci-fi epic Alien.



cap from Alien, 1979

Tom starred as a Navy Officer Flight instructor in Top Gun in 1986.



cap from Top Gun, 1986

Here's Tom in Steel Magnolias in 1989.


Tracycap from Steel Magnolias, 1989

Do you remember Tom as the poster boy for Guess?
So handsome!!

Tom didn't neglect his TV background - he appeared as Evan Drake in Cheers (1987-88), and picked up an Emmy in 1994 for his performance as Sheriff Brock in the superb series Picket Fences.


cap from Picket Fences, 1992-1996

Here are more of Tom's performances on the big and small screens!


A River Runs Through It, 1992


Poison Ivy, 1992, with Drew Barrymore


Contact, 1997, with Jodie Foster


The Other Sister, 1999, with Juliette Lewis and Diane Keaton


Brothers and Sisters, 2006


Whiteout, 2009, with Kate Beckinsale


Leverage, 2010

Tom has married three times, and has three children with his first wife, one with his second, and is currently married to his third wife.