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American actor Tom Skerritt, an Emmy Award winner and star of box-office hits such as 'Alien' and 'Top Gun', passed away at 93, as reported this Thursday by People magazine.
Skerritt passed away last Wednesday from natural causes, the actor's family indicated in a statement sent to the specialized magazine.
"While the world knew Tom for his outstanding acting career, we knew him for his humor, his curiosity, his wisdom, his generosity, and the love he brought into our lives," reads the statement.
Born on August 25, 1933, in the city of Detroit, in the state of Michigan (USA), Skerritt joined the United States Air Force in 1951 before dedicating himself to acting.
Shortly after, he moved to Los Angeles to study English literature while training himself as an actor in small theater plays.
He made his big-screen debut in 1962 with the war drama 'War Hunt' alongside Robert Redford and Sydney Pollack, and his experience in military-themed projects led him to appear in series such as 'Combat!' and 'The Virginian'.
Although the film that most defined his career was 'M*A*S*H', the satirical black comedy from 1970 by director Robert Altman. In this film, his performance as Duke Forrest, an army surgeon stationed in the Korean War, catapulted him to fame.
During the following years, he had roles that propelled him in Hollywood, such as Captain Dallas in the terrifying 'Alien' in 1979 or the one he landed in the popular 'Top Gun', starring Tom Cruise, where Skerritt played Commander Mike 'Viper' Metcalf.
In 1993, the actor won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in 'Picket Fences', one of the most critically acclaimed projects of the 1990s.
Skerritt is survived by his third wife, Julie Tokashiki, and his five children: Andy, Erin, Matt, Colin, and Emiko.
[Publicidad]