Tom Skerritt, the prolific actor who rose to fame for his portrayal of Captain Augustus Bedford “Duke” Forrest in M*A*S*H , died of natural causes on Wednesday, according to a statement from his family obtained by the Hollywood Reporter . He was 93.

Born on August 25, 1933, Skerritt got his start as an actor after being discovered while performing in a student play at UCLA. While many folks would likely recognize Skerritt for his mainstream roles such as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in Picket Fences, Drum Eatenton in Steel Magnolias , and Commander Mike “Viper” Metcalf in Top Gun , he also starred in many science fiction and horror films over his 60-year career. He was the flamethrower-wielding Captain Arthur Dallas in Alien ; Carol Anne’s uncle Bruce in Poltergeist III ; the alien skeptic Dr.…