Top Gun star Tom Skerritt is 92 years old and many fans are in absolute disbelief about his age.
He recently appeared at a meet-and-greet, where moviegoers were shocked by his ageless looks. Fans flocked to online platforms such as Reddit to share their candid thoughts on Tom’s youthful appearance.
One person wrote: “Honestly, he looks [expletive] good for 92. Good for him.” Another fan added: “Looking a little like Dick Van Dyke with the longish white hair and beard! May Tom live to be 99+ as well.”
A third fan continued: “I had no idea he is 92 years old! I went to IMDB to see what his last performance was and lo and behold….HE’S STILL ACTING!!!”
One person: That is a [expletive] fine head of hair at 92! Looking good, Captain Dallas! Jaw. On the floor. Viper’s doing it right.”
Tom’s career
Tom attended the University of California where he majored in English, however he ended up getting the acting bug instead.
He acted in his college’s performance of The Rainmaker and got noticed by George C. Scott’s mother who encouraged him to pursue acting.
Tom recalled to Film Talk: “Someone saw me acting in a play and came backstage, she was a well-dressed woman, and she said, ‘You’re a very good actor, young man. You should go to New York, do theater, learn.’ And she turned around and left.'”
© Getty ImagesThe young hopeful ended up leaving UCLA early in order to go after his acting aspirations. He starred in War Hunt in 1962, and his career took off. Tom appeared in M*A*S*H, Harold and Maude, Ice Castles, Alien and more.
In 1977, he won the National Board of Review Awards in the Best Supporting Actor category for his acting in The Turning Point.
In 1986, he landed the iconic role of Commander Mike “Viper” Metcalf in Tom Gun. Between 1992 to 1996, he acted in Picket Fences and he earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1993.
© Getty ImagesTom has also appeared in Brothers & Sisters, Fallen, Lucky and more. In 2012 he returned to the stage for the production of Don Quixote at the Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Tom acted in East of the Mountains and Catch The Bullet in 2021. His most recent role was for the movie Broke just last year.
The entertainer is not only an actor but he’s also the founder and chairman of Heyou Media, which is a media company that originated from Seattle.
A defining moment
Believe it or not, but watching Citizen Kane was a defining moment for Tom when he was a college student.
He shared: “As an English major, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, it was either directing or painting—that was another thing I was doing quite a bit back then. I remember having a film class at UCLA that screened Citizen Kane which was so impressive.”
© Getty ImagesTom added: “My response was that I was going to write and direct, and if I would write and direct, I wanted it to be at that level. That was the bar I set for myself. I thought, if I was going to write, I had to know what that was,” per Film Talk.
Tom once struggled with being shy but he overcame it thanks to acting.
He continued: “From the beginning, I really was a story guy. But I was basically shy. I could never speak in front of people, so the chance of playing someone who is not me—maybe that could break through being shy or being more outgoing, and I could learn what it felt like to be on stage, trying to learn, being sure that I cut the right lines and have a repore with the audience.”
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