Farewell to a six-decade screen career: Hollywood actor Tom Skerritt dies at 93

Tom Skerritt, the distinguished veteran Hollywood actor and a prominent figure in international cinema, has died. He breathed his last on Wednesday in Seattle in the United States, of natural causes related to old age, at the age of 93. His family confirmed the news.

Known for his grave personality and his signature moustache, the actor maintained a commanding presence on Hollywood's silver screen for nearly six decades. Very few actors in Hollywood have remained active on screen for so long.

The main breakthrough of his acting career came with Robert Altman's celebrated film 'MASH', released in 1970. That film brought him before a wider audience and laid the foundation of the long career that followed.

Across that long career he left his mark in a wide variety of roles. His performance in the Oscar-nominated 1977 film 'The Turning Point' was widely discussed, and in Robert Redford's 'A River Runs Through It' in 1992 he likewise showed the distinctive stamp of his acting style.

For film lovers around the world, however, his two most memorable works are probably in two films of very different genres. His presence in the timeless science-fiction classic 'Alien' remains part of that film's terrifying atmosphere.

In the 1986 worldwide sensation 'Top Gun', his superb performance as 'Viper', the Air Force instructor of Tom Cruise's character, still shines brightly in the hearts of film lovers. That stern yet seasoned instructor became a familiar face to generation after generation of viewers.

Not only for his acting, he was also especially esteemed by colleagues and admirers for his exceptional storytelling skill and his philanthropic work. It was this role beyond the camera that earned him a distinct standing among his contemporaries.

The veteran artist's passing has cast a deep shadow of grief over the world film community. For countless viewers who grew up watching his face on screen for six decades, fans feel that an era has come to an end with his departure.

He spent almost his entire 93 years of life in the world of acting. From 'MASH' to 'Alien' and 'Top Gun' — in every decade he introduced himself anew to a fresh generation of audiences.

With Tom Skerritt's death, Hollywood has lost one of its longest-lived character actors. From now on his works will keep him alive in viewers' memories — above all the character of 'Viper', without whom it is hard to imagine the story of 'Top Gun'.