RIP: Tom Skerritt

Sad to see that actor Tom Skerritt has passed away. I remember him from a number of movies.

I think the first film I saw him in was The Turning Point, which I only watched because ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov was also in it :) ...

The Turning Point is a 1977 American drama film centered on the world of ballet in New York City .... It stars Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft, along with Leslie Browne, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Tom Skerritt. It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards ...



But, back to Tom Skerritt. The next film of his I especially remember, is, of course, Alien. I went to see the movie with my friend Steve - my sister and his wife were both too scared to go ...

Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott .... It follows a commercial starship crew who investigate a derelict space vessel and are hunted by a deadly extraterrestrial creature. The film stars Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kotto.



The next film was The Dead Zone ...

a 1983 American science fiction thriller film directed by David Cronenberg. The screenplay, by Jeffrey Boam, is based on the 1979 novel of the same title by Stephen King. The film stars Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Martin Sheen, Anthony Zerbe, and Colleen Dewhurst.



The next one was Top Gun but you all know about that, so, on to Contact ...

a 1997 American science fiction drama film co-produced and directed by Robert Zemeckis, based on the 1985 novel by Carl Sagan. It stars Jodie Foster as Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway, a SETI scientist who finds evidence of extraterrestrial life and is chosen to make first contact. Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, Tom Skerritt, William Fichtner, John Hurt, Angela Bassett, Rob Lowe, Jake Busey, and David Morse co-star.



There are many others, of course, but these are the ones that stick with me. He was a good actor. He will be missed.