Tom Skerritt

Born: August 25 1933
Where: Detroit, Michigan, USA

One of Hollywood's most anonymous stars, he first gained attention when he played the drawling army surgeon buddy of Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould in M*A*S*H.

An accomplished character actor and occasional lead, he has appeared in movies ranging from Alien to Steel Magnolias to Tears of the Sun.

Skerritt briefly attended Wayne State University and UCLA before landing his film bow aged nineteen.

He made his big screen debut - along with Robert Redford - in War Hunt in 1962 before his profile was raised by the Robert Altman classic eight years later.

Subsequent appearances included Wild Rovers, Thieves Like Us and The Devil's Rain before his profile was raised by the character of Captain Dallas in Ridley Scott's Alien.

He also played the senior top brass opposite Tom Cruise in Top Gun and was Sally Field's spouse in the weepy Steel Magnolias.

On the small screen, he had a recurring role as Kirstie Alley's boss in the comedy series Cheers.

Subsequent roles have been plentiful - both on the big and small screens - but undistinguished, including Knight Moves, Poison Ivy and A River Runs Through It.

Outside TV work, he landed roles in Singles, Contact, Texas Rangers and Changing Hearts.

Recent work has included the Bruce Willis action thriller Tears Of The Sun and the fantasy comedy Swing with Jacqueline Bisset.