Picket Fences

Background:

“I have never really capitalized effectively on the successful films I have appeared in and I have been in some pretty damn good films. What it comes down to is what someone told me years ago, ‘If you have one hit and the next two are not successful, then you have to start from scratch again.’ That's what happened to me. It's like a game, I suppose, and I've been doing OK.” Tom Skerritt

Tom Skerritt is an Emmy Award winning American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his role of Sheriff Jimmy Brock on the television series “Picket Fences” (CBS, 1992-1996), from which he picked up his Emmy Award, in addition to two Golden Globe nominations and three Screen Actors Guild nominations. He shared a Western Heritage Award for his performance in the TNT TV film “Two for Texas” (1998). His TV credits include recurring roles in NBC's “Cheers” (1987-1988), ABC's “Brothers & Sisters” (2006-2009) and Showtime's “Huff” (2006) as well as guest roles in popular series like “Barnaby Jones,” “Bonanza,” “Will & Grace,” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” to name a few. On the big screen, Skerritt is perhaps most remembered for playing the supporting role of Shirley MacLaine's patient husband, Wayne, in “The Turning Point” (1977), where he netted a National Board of Review Award for his performance. Other films he has appeared in include “MASH” (1970), “Thieves Like Us” (1974), “Alien” (1979), “The Dead Zone” (1983), “Top Gun” (1986), “Steel Magnolias” (1989), “The Rookie” (1990), “Poison Ivy” (1992), “Contact” (1997), “Smoke Signals” (1998), “Texas Rangers” (2001), “Tears of the Sun” (2003), “Bonneville” (2006), “Whiteout” (2009), “Redemption Road” (2010) and “Soda Springs” (2011). Skerritt made his directing debut with an episode of “ABC Afterschool Specials” called “A Question About Sex” (1990). He went on to direct three episodes of “Picket Fences” and a TV film titled “Divided by Heart” (1997).

Skerritt has been married three times. He has three children (two sons and a daughter) with Charlotte Shanks (together from 1957 to 1972), and one son with Sue Oran (together from 1977 to 1992). He is currently married to Julie Tokashiki, with whom he adopted a daughter. Mr. Skerritt has a home in Lake Washington in suburban Seattle, Washington, and a home on Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands.

Detroit

Childhood and Family:

Thomas Roy Skerritt, who would later be popular as Tom Skerritt, was born on August 25, 1933, in Detroit, Michigan, to Roy Skerritt, a businessman, and Helen Skerritt, a homemaker. He graduated from MacKenzie High School in Detroit in 1951 and then served with the United States Air Force for four years. He attended Wayne State University in Detroit and the University of California at Los Angeles in California.

In 1957, Tom married Charlotte Shanks. The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Andy Skerritt, in 1962. Their second child, daughter Erin Skerritt, and their third, son Matt Skerritt, were born in 1964 and 1969, respectively. However, after 15 years, the marriage ended in divorce in 1972. Tom then married Sue Oran in 1977 and their son, Colin Skerritt, was born in 1978. The couple divorced in 1992. He married his present wife, Julie Tokashiki, in 1998. The two adopted a daughter together.

The Turning Point

Career:

Tom Skerritt was discovered while performing in a UCLA stage production of “The Rainmaker.” He made his feature debut in the drama “War Hunt” (1962), which was directed by Denis Sanders and starred John Saxon, Charles Aidman and Sydney Pollack. The film also marked the first feature of Robert Redford. Skerritt soon branched out to the small screen with guest roles in such television shows as “The Virginian” and “Combat” (both 1962), “Laramie,” “The Real McCoys,” “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” “Death Valley Days” and “My Three Sons” (all 1963).

Throughout the remainder of the 1960s, Skerritt continued to make guest appearances in a number of television series, including “Wagon Train” (1964), “Bonanza” (1964), “12 O’clock High” (1964-1967), “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” (1965), “Gunsmoke” (1965), “The Fugitive” (1965-1966), “Mannix” (1967), “Run for Your Life” (1968), “Felony Squad” (1968), “The Outsider” (1969) and “Lancer” (1969). He returned to features in 1964 when he was reunited with director Denis Sanders for the film “One Man's Way.” The film starred Don Murray, Diana Hyland and William Windom. The following year, he offered a notable supporting turn as Whit Turner in “Those Calloways,” opposite Brian Keith, Vera Miles and Brandon De Wilde.

Skerritt's breakthrough screen role arrived in 1970 when he was cast in the starring role of Captain Augustus Bedford “Duke” Forrest in the Robert Altman Korean War comedy “MASH.” The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won the award for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. It also won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy, a UN Award at the 1971 BAFTA Awards, and a Palme d'Or at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival, among other awards and nominations. “MASH” scored over $81 million at the box office against a budget of $3.5 million.

In 1971, Skerritt played Karl Malden's hot tempered son, John, in the western “Wild Rovers,” which was directed by Blake Edwards and starred William Holden and Ryan O'Neal, and had an unaccredited part in Hal Ashby's cult classic “Harold and Maude,” starring Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon. The same year, he also appeared in the ABC TV movie “The Birdmen,” opposite Doug McClure, Rene Auberjonois and Richard Basehart. Skerritt next costarred with Burt Reynolds, Raquel Welch and Jack Weston in the action comedy “Fuzz” (1972), by director Richard A. Colla, before being reunited with Altman for “Thieves Like Us,” which was entered into the 1974 Cannes Film Festival. He also appeared in Roger Corman's “Big Bad Mama” (1974), with Angie Dickinson and William Shatner, “Arrivano Joe e Margherito” (1974), an Italian film helmed by Giuseppe Colizzi, and Robert Fuest's low budget horror movie “The Devil's Rain” (1975), opposite William Shatner, Ernest Borgnine, John Travolta and Eddie Albert. Following roles in the Italian movies “...e tanta paura” and “Madama, La” (both 1976), Skerritt played the role of Wayne, Shirley MacLaine's tolerant husband, in the Herbert Ross academy award nominated drama “The Turning Point” (1977). He won a National Board of Review (NBR) for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. In 1978, Skerritt appeared in the big box office hit “Up in Smoke,” which was directed by Lou Adler, and portrayed the father of Lynn-Holly Johnson in the romantic film “Ice Castles.” He closed out the decade with a starring role opposite Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto in Ridley Scott's critically acclaimed and commercially successful science fiction horror film “Alien” (1979), playing Captain Dallas. The film later brought him a DVDX Award for Best Audio Commentary (New for DVD) from the 2003 DVD Exclusive Awards.

Meanwhile on the small screen, Skerritt landed episodes of “Hawaii Five-O” (1970), “Medical Center” (1970), “Bracken's World” (1970), “Men at Law” (1971), “Nichols” (1971), “Cannon” (1971-1975), “Get Christie Love,” (1974), “Barnaby Jones” (1975), “S.W.A.T.” (1976) and “Baretta” (1978), among other shows. He also played Bill Powers in the 1975 TV film “The Last Day” (NBC) and John Gosford in the CBS film “Maneaters are Loose!” (1978). In addition, he acted in the TV miniseries “Origins of the Mafia” (1976).

In the early 1980s, Skerritt starred in such films as Robert E. Collins' “Savage Harvest” (1981), the Canadian drama “Silence of the North” (1981), for which he was nominated for a 1982 Genie for Best Performance by a Foreign Actor for his portrayal of Walter Reamer, Lewis Teague's “Fighting Back” (1982), the Australian drama “A Dangerous Summer” (1982), opposite Ian Gilmour, Guy Doleman and James Mason, and the film adaptation of the Stephen King's novel “The Dead Zone” (1983), opposite Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen.

In 1983, Skerritt starred as Dr. Ryan in the ABC series “Ryan's Four,” but the series only had a short life. He went on to appear in the TV films “Calendar Girl Murders” (1984), “A Touch of Scandal” (1984) and “Miles to Go... “ (1986) as well as in an episode of “The Hitchhiker” (1986) before returning to film in Tony Scott's highly successful action film “Top Gun” (1986), where he portrayed Tom Cruise's commander Mike 'Viper' Metcalf. He followed it up with roles in “SpaceCamp” (1986, with Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Larry B. Scott, Leaf Phoenix and Tate Donovan), “Opposing Force” (1986), Emilio Estevez's movie “Wisdom” (1987), “Maid to Order” (1987, as Ally Sheedy's father), “The Big Town” (1987, starred Matt Dillon, Diane Lane and Tommy Lee Jones), and “Honor Bound” (1988). In addition, he acted in the movies “Poltergeist III” (1988, played Nancy Allen's husband), “Big Man on Campus” (1989) and “Steel Magnolias” (1989, as Sally Field's husband), which marked a reunion with director Herbert Ross. Between 1987 and 1988, Skerritt had a recurring role in the NBC sitcom “Cheers.” He also appeared in several TV films during this period, like “Poker Alice,” “Moving Target,” “Nightmare at Bitter Creek,” “The Heist” and “Red King, White Knight.”

In 1990, Skerritt made his directing debut with “A Question About Sex,” an ABC Afterschool Special. The same year, he also starred as Sheriff Sam Brodie in the USA Network movie “The China Lake Murders,” played a police chief in the CBS TV film “Child in the Night,” opposite JoBeth Williams, supported Linda Evans, Larry Poindexter and DeLane Matthews in the ABC TV movie “She'll Take Romance” and costarred with Charlie Sheen, Clint Eastwood, Raúl Juliá, Sônia Braga and Lara Flynn Boyle in the film “The Rookie,” directed by Eastwood. 1991 saw the actor appear in a string of advertisements and play a father in Zalman King's film “Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue.”

Skerritt's big break on television came when he was cast in the starring role of Sheriff Jimmy Brock on the David E. Kelley created series “Picket Fences,” opposite Kathy Baker, Costas Mandylor, Lauren Holly, Holly Marie Combs, Zelda Rubinstein and Adam Wylie, among other actors. Focusing on the residents of a fictional community in Wisconsin, the show originally aired on CBS from September 1992 to June 1996 and won fourteen Emmy Awards (including Best Dramatic Series twice) and a Golden Globe during its four year run. Skerritt received a 1993 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and an additional Emmy nomination in 1994 for his performance. The role also brought him two Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama (1994 and 1995) and three Screen Actors Guild nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (1995 and 1996) and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series (1995). Skerritt also directed three episodes of “Picket Fences.”

Meanwhile, in 1992, Skerritt also appeared in several films and television films. He portrayed Sara Gilbert's father in the thriller “Poison Ivy,” Captain Frank Sedman in the thriller “Knight Moves,” opposite Christopher Lambert and Diane Lane, Reverend Maclean in the Oscar winning film “A River Runs Through It,” directed by Robert Redford, and Mayor Weber in Cameron Crowe's “Singles,” starring Bridget Fonda, Campbell Scott, Kyra Sedgwick and Matt Dillon. His television credits included “In Sickness and in Health” and “Getting Up and Going Home.”

After “Picket Fences” left the airwaves, Skerritt resumed his film career after a five year break playing the supporting role of government scientist David Drumlin in the Robert Zemeckis popular science fiction film “Contact” (1997), for which he was nominated for a Blockbuster Entertainment Award in the category of Favorite Supporting Actor - Drama. The same year, he also guest starred in an episode of “Chicago Hope” called “Guns 'n' Roses” and portrayed Norm Jenkins in the TV movie “What the Deaf Man Heard,” starring Matthew Modine and James Earl Jones. He also directed and starred in the USA Network TV film “Divided by Hate” (1997). Next up for Skerritt, he appeared in Chris Eyre's indie film “Smoke Signals” (1998) and costarred with Juliette Lewis, Giovanni Ribisi and Diane Keaton in Garry Marshall's “The Other Sister” (1999). He also shared Western Heritage's Bronze Wrangler for Television Feature Film for his performance in the TNT film “Two for Texas” (1998), hosted the history documentary “Into the Wild Blue” (1999), played Fred Maddux in the NBC TV film “The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer” (1999) and was cast as Fire Chief Thomas Ahearn in a four hour disaster miniseries “Aftershock: Earthquake in New York” (CBS, 1999).

Entering the new millennium, Skerritt played Walter in the Lifetime TV film “An American Daughter” (2000), opposite Christine Lahti and Jay Thomas, inherited the Gary Cooper role in the TNT television remake of “High Noon” (2000) and was cast as Joseph P. 'Joe' Kennedy in the CBS TV film “Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis” (2000). He went on to appear in such films as “Chestnut Hill” (2001, TV), “Texas Rangers” (2001, played Richard Dukes), “Tuscaloosa” (2002), “Changing Hearts” (2002), “Path to War” (2002, TV), “Tears of the Sun” (2003, as Captain Bill Rhodes), “Swing” (2003), “Homeland Security” (2004), “Vinegar Hill” (2005, TV) and “Category 7: The End of the World” (2005, TV). In addition, he appeared in episodes of “Will & Grace” (2002, as Dr. Jay Markus), “The West Wing” (2003, as Senator Chris Carrick) and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (2004, as Judge Oliver Taft). He then acted in two episodes of the TNT miniseries “The Grid” (2004).

In 2006, Skerritt landed recurring roles in the ABC series “Brothers & Sisters,” a gig he kept throughout 2009, and the Showtime drama “Huff.” 2006 also found roles in the TV films “Mammoth” (Sci Fi Channel), “Desperation” (ABC) and “Fallen” (ABC) and the feature film “Bonneville.” He then played Victor Bannister in two episodes of the TV miniseries “Killer Wave” (2007), Gabe Utterson in the TV film “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (2008), Sheriff Wilson Landry in the Michael Salomon directed comedy “Beer for My Horses” (2008), Horse in the family film “The Velveteen Rabbit” (2009), directed by Michael Landon Jr., Dr. John Fury in the big screen adaptation of “Whiteout” (2009), helmed by Dominic Sena, Clive Farrier in the drama film “For Sale by Owner” (2009) and Santa in Mario Van Peebles' “Redemption Road” (2010). During 2007-2010, he also appeared in episodes of “Stephen King's Dead Zone,” “The Trojan Horse,” “The Closer” and “Leverage.”

Recently, in 2011, Skerritt had a supporting role in the direct to video “Your Love Never Fails,” which was directed and co-written by Michael Feifer, and starred as Walt Jackson in the dramatic film “Soda Springs,” from the same director, Michael Feifer.

Awards:

• DVD Exclusive: DVDX Award, Best Audio Commentary (New for DVD), “Alien,” 2003

• Western Heritage: Bronze Wrangler, Television Feature Film, “Two for Texas,” 1999

• Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, “Picket Fences,” 1993

• National Board of Review (NBR): Best Supporting Actor, “The Turning Point,” 1977