The beloved actor and icon Tom Skerritt has passed away. On Wednesday, October 21, Skerritt died of natural causes at his home in Seattle. He was 93. From Robert Altman’s genre-defying M*A*S*H* to battling chesbursters in Alien, to tense briefings of Top Gun, Skerritt’s fictional men are remembered because of their quiet, realistic confidence. In so many of his roles, he made being the calmest guy in the room look effortless.
As the world mourns and fans debate what his best role truly was, here’s where to stream Tom Skerritt’s very best roles, plus a guide to where you can watch 13 great movies totally for free.
M*A*S*H (1970)
Before Alien made him a captain, Skerritt took on the role of Duke Forrest, the drawling Georgia surgeon in M*A*S*H*; a tragic comedy that started a phenomenon. Alongside Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould, Skerritt is the cool, slightly smug character who holds it all together.
M*A*S*H is available to rent on Prime Video, Apple TV and elsewhere.
Alien (1979)
At the beginning of Alien, Captain Arthur Dallas (Skerritt) feels like the main character. We know that the “final girl” of Alien, Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, is the true main character, but the subtle realism of Alien is that you’re not really sure about that at the beginning of the film. Skerritt’s performance as Dallas is part of what makes Alien so great, and there’s a real sense we wouldn’t have bought the movie’s set-up had he not been there.
Alien streams on Netflix.
Steel Magnolias (1989)
In a movie packed with powerhouse women, Skerritt has the toughest job— staying out of the way. As Drum Eatenton, the bird-blasting, prank-loving dad, he gives Sally Field’s M’Lynn someone to roll her eyes at. When the tears come, his quiet grief hits harder than you’d expect.
Steel Magnolias streams on Netflix.
Picket Fences (1992–1996)
One of the most popular shows of the 1990s put Skerritt in the role he was born to play: Sheriff Jimmy Brock. Set in Rome, Wisconsin, Picket Fences was a crime show that was basically a family drama. Sometimes weird, sometimes bittersweet, Picket Fences was never boring. This show even beat Star Trek: The Next Generation at the Emmys for Best Drama in 1994! Is it that good? Revisit and see for yourself!
Picket Fences is available to rent on Prime Video, Fandango, and elsewhere.
SpaceCamp (1986)
A movie about kids accidentally getting blasted off into space in 1986 became, oddly, buried because of real-life tragedy. Although we like to think of the 1980s as a time when the space shuttle program was very popular, the truth is, at the start of 1986, on January 28, the Challenger disaster changed everything, and a quirkly movie about a space shuttle accident didn’t quite play in 1986.
That said, 40 years later, Tom Skerritt is excellent in SpaceCamp as Zach Bergstrom, a grounded astronaut, and the fictional husband of the film’s bigger star; Kate Capshaw as Andie Bergstrom.
SpaceCamp is basically impossible to stream. To watch it, you have to track down a DVD, Blu-ray, or VHS tape.
Top Gun (1986)
Seven years after Ridley Scott made him the captain of the Nostromo, Ridley’s brother Tony handed Skerritt command of Top Gun itself. As Viper, the unflappable instructor who once flew with Maverick’s dad, Skerritt is the calm at the center of all that Kenny Loggins swagger. He’s the cool dad of the danger zone.
Top Gun streams on Paramount+.
Contact (1997)
Based on Carl Sagan’s novel of the same name, Contact is a science fiction film that plays out like a realistic drama. Though the hero of this movie is Jodie Foster’s Dr. Ellie Arroway, Skerritt plays her colleague, and later, space travel rival, David Drumlin. It’s one of his most realistic roles, in a movie that is anything but.
Free Tom Skerritt Movies on Pluto TV
As of October 23, Pluto TV organized several of Tom Skerritt’s movies together into a free streaming package. Here’s a list of those movies streaming free on Pluto, plus links to each.
- East of the Mountains
- Swing (2003)
- The Dead Zone
- Bonneville
- Big Bad Mama
- The Devil’s Rain
- Poltergeist III
- A Valentine’s Date
- Up in Smoke
- Smoke Signals
- What the Deaf Man Heard
- Texas Rangers
- A Hologram for the King
