Sigourney Weaver
About
Biography
Filmography
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Biography
Sigourney Weaver was an Oscar-nominated screen actress who was best known for her roles in "Alien" (1979), "Ghostbusters" (1984), "Gorillas in the Mist" (1988), "Avatar" (2009), and many others. Born and raised in Manhattan, New York City, Weaver was exposed to the entertainment industry at a very young age. Her father was a pioneering TV producer, while her uncle, Doodles Weaver, was a popular comedian and actor in the 50s and 60s. As a young girl, Weaver was drawn to the stage. She appeared in numerous plays throughout high school, and dreamed of becoming a professional actress. After receiving her B.A. from Stanford University, Weaver attended the Yale School of Drama where one of her classmates was Meryl Streep. After graduating from Yale in 1974 Weaver intended on becoming a screen actress. She nabbed a non-speaking role in Woody Allen's 1977 comedy "Annie Hall," and followed that up with a role in the 1978 drama "Madman." Weaver's breakout role, however, came in 1979 when she played the lead character of Ripley in director Ridley Scott's classic science-fiction horror film "Alien." The huge success of "Alien" spawned numerous sequels, including "Aliens" (1986), "Alien 3" (1992), and "Alien: Resurrection" (1997), all of three which Weaver reprised her role as Ripley. In addition to her starring role in the "Alien" franchise, in the 1980s Weaver found success in films "Ghostbusters," "Working Girl" (1988), and "Gorillas in the Mist," the latter two of which would earn her Oscar nominations. Weaver continued working steadily throughout the 90s and 2000s, with notable roles in "Dave" (1993), "The Ice Storm" (1997), and director James Cameron's Oscar-winning science-fiction epic "Avatar." By the 2010s Weaver began appearing on television. She appeared in two mini-series" "Political Animals" (USA, 2012) and "The Defenders" (Netflix, 2017). While heading into her sixth decade as a professional actress, Weaver showed no signs of slowing down. She reprised her role as Dr. Grace Augustine in the "Avatar" franchise. "Avatar 2" was released in 2020, the first of four sequels in the franchise.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1963
Began using the name Sigourney (after a character mentioned in "The Great Gatsby")
1974
Appeared with Meryl Streep in the chorus of the Stephen Sondheim adaptation of "The Frogs" performed at Yale
1974
Made Broadway debut as an understudy in "The Constant Wife"
1976
Film acting debut in "Madman" (Israel)
1976
With Durang, co-wrote and co-starred in "Das Lusitania Songspiel"; produced off-off-Broadway
1976
TV debut as a regular on the NBC soap "Somerset"; appeared alongside Ted Danson and JoBeth Williams
1977
Had bit part as Woody Allen's movie date in "Annie Hall"
1979
Breakthrough film role as franchise protagonist Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott's sci fi epic "Alien"
1982
Co-starred opposite Mel Gibson in Peter Weir's "The Year of Living Dangerously"
1984
Co-starred in the Broadway production of "Hurlyburly," directed by Mike Nichols; received a Tony nomination
1984
Had female lead of Dana Barrett in the blockbuster comedy "Ghostbusters"
1986
Reprised her role as Ripley in James Cameron's "Aliens"; earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress
1988
Portrayed gorilla conservationist Dian Fossey in "Gorillas in the Mist"; received one of two Oscar nominations that year for Best Actress; became the first actor nominated in two categories not to win either
1988
Portrayed a ruthless business woman in "Working Girl"; received one of two Oscar nominations that year for Best Supporting Actress; became the first actor nominated in two categories not to win either
1989
Reprised role of Dana Barrett in "Ghostbusters II"
1992
Again reprised Ripley for David Fincher's "Alien 3"; debuted as a producer
1993
First onscreen teaming with Kevin Kline in "Dave"
1995
Appeared as an agoraphobic psychologist in "Copycat" opposite Holly Hunter
1996
Returned to Broadway as the star of Christopher Durang's "Sex and Longing"
1997
Played a clone of Ripley in "Alien Resurrection"
1997
Made TV-movie debut as the wicked stepmother in "Snow White: A Tale of Terror"; earned an Emmy nomination
1997
Re-teamed with Kline in Ang Lee's mood piece "The Ice Storm"
1999
Teamed with Julianne Moore for the screen version of the novel "A Map of the World"
1999
Received star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
2001
Had featured role in "Company Man"
2001
With Jennifer Love Hewitt, played a mother-daughter con team in "Heartbreakers"
2002
Played Eve, a woman whose 16 year old stepson falls in love with her in "Tadpole"
2002
Returned to the NYC stage in "The Guys"; performed off-off-Broadway at the Flea, a company run by her husband
2003
Starred in the play-turned-motion picture drama "The Guys"
2003
Was the warden in the Disney teen adventure "Holes"
2004
Starred with Jeff Daniels in the family drama "Imaginary Heroes"
2004
Starred in M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" with William Hurt and Joaquin Phoenix
2006
Played a Manhattan socialite in the Truman Capote biopic "Infamous"
2007
Portrayed an autistic woman opposite Alan Rickman in "Snow Cake"
2007
Cast in the network satire "The TV Set," directed by Jake Kasdan and starring David Duchovny
2008
Cast as a news producer in the ensemble thriller "Vantage Point"
2008
Cast opposite Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in the comedy "Baby Mama"
2008
Voiced the Ship's Computer in Pixar hit "WALL·E"
2009
Re-teamed with James Cameron for the 3-D science fiction epic film "Avatar"
2009
Played a devout Christian who came to terms with her son's homosexuality after his suicide in the Lifetime movie "Prayers for Bobby"; earned Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG nominations for Best Actress in a TV Movie
2010
Co-starred in the romantic comedy "You Again" with Jamie Lee Curtis and Betty White
2011
Appeared in the John Singleton directed action thriller "Abduction"
2012
Cast in the crime drama "Rampart" opposite Woody Harrelson
2012
Cast alongside Robert De Niro and Cillian Murphy in thriller "Red Lights"
2012
Co-starred with Bruce Willis and Henry Cavill in action thriller "The Cold Light of Day"
2012
Made a cameo as The Director in the horror thriller "The Cabin in the Woods"
2012
Starred in the USA Network miniseries "Political Animals" as a former First Lady-turned-Secretary of State
2014
Appeared in the historical drama "Exodus: Gods and Kings"
2015
Co-starred in the action-drama "Chappie"
2016
Nabbed a supporting role in the children's fantasy film "A Monster Calls"
2016
Played herself in the Pixar animated film "Finding Dory"
2016
Appeared in the 2016 reboot of "Ghostbusters"
2017
Starred as Alexandra Reid on TV mini-series "The Defenders"