Tom Skerritt, star of 'Alien,' 'Top Gun' and 'Picket Fences,' dies at 93

Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-winning actor known for roles in “Alien,” “Top Gun” and TV’s “Picket Fences,” has died at 93. He died Wednesday of natural causes, his family said in a statement. Skerritt built a decades-long career playing steady authority figures across film and television. He won the 1993 Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama series for “Picket Fences” and was twice nominated for the role. His credits also included “Steel Magnolias,” “Contact,” “A River Runs Through It” and “The Turning Point.” Born in Detroit, Skerritt served four years in the Air Force and studied at UCLA before starting his screen career in the 1962 film “War Hunt.”