Tom Skerritt Bio - Tom Skerritt Biography

Tom Skerritt: Biography

Tom Skerritt is an American leading and supporting actor. He has rugged good looks and polite charm. He has received his biggest fame on television but he has been in many films and has tried his hand at directing as well.

Tom's father, Roy, was in business while his mother, Helen, was a homemaker.(edit)
In 2002, Tom cited Picket Fences as his favorite TV program of all time.(edit)
Tom loves books written by author John Steinbeck.(edit)
Tom Skerritt has lived in Seattle, Washington, USA since 1988.(edit)
Tom has been married three times and has four children, three sons and one daughter.(edit)
Award Nominations:
1982 - Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign Actor: Silence of the North (1981)
1994 - Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series - Drama: Picket Fences
1994 - Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Drama Series: Picket Fences
1995 - Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series - Drama: Picket Fences
1995, 1996, -Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: Picket Fences
1995 - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by by a Male Actor in a Drama Series: Picket Fences
1998 - Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor in a Drama: Contact (1997)(edit)
Tom would like to work with Stephen King again, calling him a genius at the art of horror and mystery.(edit)
Tom considers Blythe Danner the best actress in Hollywood, calling her a classy, ambitious, professional, who is a pleasure to work beside.(edit)
Tom's favorite movies are Pale Rider, Pulp Fiction, and Goodfellas.(edit)
Tom appeared in commercials for Aleve pain reliever and MCI long distance company in 1998. (edit)
Tom sued a food-supplement manufacturer for using his likeness in an ad for a "natural" product said to cure erectile dysfunction. He alleged that his head had been placed on the body of a shirtless male model in the ad without his permission.(edit)
Tom appeared as the guide on the showcase website for Microsoft's new operating system Windows Vista.(edit)
Tom directed as well as starred in the television movie Divided By Hate in 1997. He played a manipulative, neo-nazi preacher.(edit)
Tom's participation in the film Top Gun helped to land him the Guess? Jeans ad campaign in 1987. (edit)
Tom has always wanted to be an actor, watching westerns on television, and hoping that one day he would be on screen.(edit)
Tom made his feature film debut at age 19, alongside fellow newcomer Robert Redford in the 1962 movie War Hunt.(edit)
Tom was first discovered in a UCLA stage production of The Rainmaker.(edit)
Tom recreated the role of Will Kane in the TV production of High Noon (2000).(edit)
His height is 6' (1.83 m).(edit)
Tom was the voice behind Clay Allison in the video game "Gun".(edit)

Tom: 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.(edit)
Tom: (on the biggest compliment received from a director) Just being hired by a great director is complimentary.(edit)
Tom: (on his favorite piece of music) I've got too many I can't really say. I love music too much to pick out one particular favorite. I could never do a disservice to some other great creative work.(edit)
Tom: One has the responsibility to oneself, to the writer, director and the people who put up the money, to put out the best of what one has experienced and understood about the human condition as it relates to the role one has been hired to portray.(edit)
Tom: Most screenplays depend primarily on the vision of a director.
Obviously, if a director doesn't communicative a clear, relevant
vision of the material, it will not succeed no matter how good the material. Same sense, 'just so' material with a director who has time and vision can turn out a better than expected film.(edit)
Tom: TV writing is different than other mediums, involving the writer
everyday in the course of a TV season.(edit)
Tom: (on what gets his attention the most when reading a script) The story and who's directing.(edit)