Tom Skerritt, ‘Top Gun’ Actor and Air Force Vet, Dies at 93

By the time Tom Skerritt stepped onto the set of Top Gun to play Navy Cmdr. Mike “Viper” Metcalf, he already had four years of military service behind him. The actor knew what it meant to wear a uniform, even if his own Air Force career looked quite different from the fighter pilot he portrayed on screen.

Skerritt, who became a familiar face in films including M*A*S*H and Alien and won an Emmy for the television series Picket Fences, died of natural causes Oct. 21, his family confirmed to People. He was 93.

For veterans, Skerritt’s legacy extends beyond his movie roles. In 2012, he helped establish a nonprofit that helped wounded service members work through difficult experiences by writing about their lives.

From the Air Force to Hollywood

Born Aug. 25, 1933, in Detroit, Skerritt enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 after graduating from high school. His older brother, Dick, flew P-51 Mustangs during World War II, which inspired Skerritt to serve, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs profile.

Skerritt worked as a classification specialist at Bergstrom Air Force Base near Austin, Texas. He was honorably discharged in 1955 and used the GI Bill to pursue an education, attending Henry Ford College and Wayne State University before heading west to the University of California, Los Angeles.

He initially hoped to become a writer and director. Acting entered the picture after he performed in theater, and his first movie role came in the 1962 Korean War drama War Hunt, which also featured Robert Redford.

Skerritt’s military connections followed him to Hollywood. He played Army surgeon Capt. Augustus “Duke” Forrest in Robert Altman’s 1970 war comedy M*A*S*H, then took command of a very different crew as Capt. Dallas aboard the doomed spaceship Nostromo in Ridley Scott’s 1979 science fiction horror classic Alien.

His most recognizable military role arrived in 1986’s Top Gun. As Viper, Skerritt played the seasoned naval aviator who challenged Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and eventually helped the young pilot confront the death of his radar intercept officer, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw.

Skerritt later said his brother’s World War II flying experience helped inform the character. He later played Sheriff Jimmy Brock on CBS’ Picket Fences, winning the 1993 Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama series.

Helping Other Veterans Find Their Voices

Skerritt’s most direct work with fellow veterans came long after his military discharge. He and former Army Capt. Evan Bailey co-founded the Red Badge Project in 2012, creating storytelling workshops for veterans facing physical injuries, trauma and the difficult adjustment to civilian life.

The idea was to give veterans the tools and space to write about what they had experienced, with no requirement that every story be about combat. The nonprofit worked with writers and instructors, including University of Washington professor Shawn Wong, and offered classes to injured soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.

In a 2024 CBS News interview, Skerritt explained why he wanted to get involved.

“I just got tired of talking about this if I could do something about it,” he said.

By 2024, the program had reached more than 1,000 veterans across five Washington cities, according to CBS. Veterans described the workshops as places where they could share experiences they had struggled to discuss elsewhere.

His family remembered that same commitment in announcing his death, saying he cared deeply about veterans and helping others share their voices.

Skerritt is survived by his wife, Julie Tokashiki, five children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The Red Badge Project, which he helped create, remains part of his legacy beyond the screen.