Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver became a star in 1979 as warrant officer Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott's Alien, a rare female action lead. She reprised the role in 1986's Aliens, earning an Academy Award nomination and redefining the sci-fi heroine.
New York Upbringing
The daughter of a television executive and an actress, she trained at the Yale School of Drama. A blink-and-miss role in Annie Hall preceded her breakout.
Ripley
Alien made her a star in 1979 and gave science fiction a tough, resourceful female lead. She returned to the role across three more films over two decades.
Range and Avatar
She earned three Oscar nominations in the 1980s across action, drama, and comedy. James Cameron later cast her in the Avatar films, among the highest-grossing of all time.
Career Timeline
- 1977Brief screen debut in Annie Hall
- 1979Stars as Ripley in Alien
- 1984Co-stars in Ghostbusters
- 1986Oscar nomination for Aliens
- 1988Two Oscar nods for Gorillas and Working Girl
- 1989Wins two Golden Globes in one night
- 1992Returns in Alien 3
- 1997Stars in Alien Resurrection
- 2009Featured in record-breaking Avatar
- 2022Returns for Avatar: The Way of Water
Biggest Hits
- She adopted the name Sigourney at age 14, taking it from a minor character in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.
- In 1989 she earned two Oscar nominations the same year, for Gorillas in the Mist and Working Girl.
Portrait: Harald Krichel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons