About Tom Skerritt
Thomas Roy Skerritt (born August 25, 1933) is an American actor and director, who has appeared in over 170 film and television productions since 1962. The beginning of his film career coincided with the New Hollywood movement, with a breakthrough role as Duke Forrest in Robert Altman's M*A*S*H (1970). He then starred in notable films like The Turning Point (1977), Up in Smoke, Ice Castles (both 1978), Alien (1979), The Dead Zone (1983), Top Gun (1986), and A River Runs Through It (1992). On television, Skerritt played the leading role of Sheriff Jimmy Brock on the family drama Picket Fences (1992–1996), earning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, as well as two Golden Globe Award nominations. He also had a recurring role as Evan Drake on the sixth season of sitcom Cheers (1987–1988). Skerritt is also a three-time Screen Actors Guild Award nominee, a Genie Award nominee, an American Television Award nominee, and is both a Saturn Award and Western Heritage Award winner. In 2022, he received the International Press Academy's honorary Mary Pickford Award for "Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Entertainment Industry." It was his appearance in a production of The Rainmaker that got Skerritt noticed to act in his first feature film. He then appeared in CBS's Picket Fences (1992–1996), in the role of Sheriff Jimmy Brock, for which he won an Emmy Award. He then starred in notable films like The Turning Point (1977), Up in Smoke, Ice Castles, Alien (1979), The Dead Zone (1983), Top Gun (1986), and A River Runs Through It (1992).
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.