LOS ANGELES — Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-winning actor who had an enduring TV and film career that included roles in classics “Alien” and “Top Gun,” has died.

Skerritt died Wednesday of natural causes, his family announced in a statement shared Thursday with The Times. The actor, whom they remembered for his “humor, curiosity, wisdom, generosity” and love, was 93.

“He cared deeply about imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world, and helping others find and share their own voices,” the actor’s family said, according to the statement. “We are incredibly grateful for the love and support being shown by his friends, colleagues, and fans. We ask for privacy as our family grieves.”

Throughout his career, which spanned from the early 1960s to the 2020s, Skerritt earned more than 170 film credits across television and film, according to his IMDb page. Notably, he starred alongside Sigourney Weaver in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic “Alien” as spacecraft captain Arthur Dallas, who falls victim to a threatening and towering Xenomorph.

He also shared the screen with Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in “Top Gun” as Vietnam veteran and stern but nurturing Top Gun instructor Cmdr. Mike “Viper” Metcalf. “You have a confidence problem,” Skerritt’s Viper tells Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. “I’m not going to sit here and blow sunshine up your ass, lieutenant. A good pilot’s always compelled to evaluate what’s happened so he can apply what he’s learned.”

The Detroit-born actor’s breakout role came in Robert Altman’s “MASH” film in 1970, which then paved the way for credits including “Steel Magnolias,” Robert Redford’s “A River Runs Through It,” also starring Brad Pitt, and “The Turning Point.”

Skerritt, born Aug. 25, 1933, began his acting career with minor roles in series including “The Real McCoys,” “Gunsmoke” and “Death Valley Days.” Though he primarily focused on film and TV movies from the mid-’80s onward, Skerritt intermittently pursued TV series work. He often played law enforcement types — which would work in his favor.

The actor’s lengthiest TV job was the CBS series “Picket Fences,” which aired from 1992 to 1996. Created by David E. Kelley, “Picket Fences” was set in the small Wisconsin town of Rome and starred Skerritt as Sheriff Jimmy Brock, who works to keep his community in order amid a series of strange and unsettling events. Skerritt earned his Primetime Emmy Award for the role in 1993 and received another nomination for the same role the following year.

Skerritt’s television credits also included “The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “The Good Wife” and ”Madam Secretary.” He continued working late into life, with the short film “An Old Friend” (2024) and the movie “Broke” (2025) as his final credits. He also had a handful of directing and producing credits.

Upon receiving a lifetime achievement award at the Satellite Awards in 2022, Skerritt recalled the “quite the good fortune I’ve had in this business” to count filmmakers Redford, Scott and Sydney Pollack among his early collaborators. He also shared his lifelong approach to his work.

“It is so responsible for us to do the best work we possibly can for the audience who comes in to pay the tickets,” he said. “I’ve always seen it that way.”

Offscreen, Skerritt devoted his time to environmental conservation efforts, nurturing aspiring filmmakers and supporting veterans. He is survived by his wife, Julie; children Andy, Erin, Matt, Collin and Emiko; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Details of a memorial will be shared at a later date.

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