Sigourney Weaver


Actor
Sigourney Weaver

About

Also Known As
Susan Alexandra Weaver
Birth Place
New York City, New York, USA
Born
October 08, 1949

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 ...

Photos & Videos

Family & Companions

James McClure
Companion
Actor, playwright. Together in the late 1970s and early 80s (dates approximate).
Jim Simpson
Husband
Director. Met at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 1983; began dating in October 1983; married on October 1, 1984.

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)

Avatar 5 (2027)
Avatar 4 (2025)
Avatar 3 (2023)
Avatar 2 (2021)
The Assignment (2017)
The Meyerowitz Stories (2017)
Finding Dory (2016)
Voice
Ghostbusters (2016)
A Monster Calls (2016)
Ingrid Bergman in Her Own Words (2015)
Herself
Chappie (2015)
Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
Body Art (2014)
Paul (2011)
Cedar Rapids (2011)
Abduction (2011)
Crazy on the Outside (2010)
You Again (2010)
Prayers for Bobby (2009)
Avatar (2009)
The Tale of Despereaux (2008)
Narrator
WALL-E (2008)
Voice
Vantage Point (2008)
Baby Mama (2008)
Be Kind Rewind (2008)
Happily N'Ever After (2007)
Voice
The Girl in the Park (2007)
Infamous (2006)
The TV Set (2006)
Snow Cake (2006)
The Village (2004)
Imaginary Heroes (2004)
Sandy Travis
Holes (2003)
Tadpole (2002)
The Guys (2002)
Joan
Heartbreakers (2001)
Sundance20 (2001)
Herself
Big Bad Love (2001)
Voice
Company Man (2001)
Galaxy Quest (1999)
A Map of the World (1999)
Alice Goodwin
Get Bruce (1999)
Herself
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997)
Claudia Hoffman
The Ice Storm (1997)
Janey Carver
Copycat (1995)
Death and the Maiden (1994)
Paulina Escobar
Dave (1993)
Alien 3 (1992)
1492: The Conquest of Paradise (1992)
Ghostbusters II (1989)
Helmut Newton: Frames From the Edge (1989)
Herself
Working Girl (1988)
Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
Dian Fossey
A Woman or Two (1987)
Aliens (1986)
Half Moon Street (1986)
Dr Lauren Slaughter
Ghostbusters (1984)
Deal Of The Century (1983)
Mrs Devoto
The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
Jill Bryant
Eyewitness (1981)
Alien (1979)
Ripley
Annie Hall (1977)

Producer (Feature Film)

Alien 3 (1992)
Coproducer

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week (2016)
Interviewee
Sundance20 (2001)
Other
Get Bruce (1999)
Other
Helmut Newton: Frames From the Edge (1989)
Other

Cast (Special)

Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood (2009)
Narrator
Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood - Part 2 (2009)
Narrator
Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood - Part 1 (2009)
Narrator
The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2003)
In Our City: New Yorkers Remember September 11th (2002)
Christmas in Rockefeller Center (2001)
The 55th Annual Tony Awards (2001)
Presenter
VH1 Divas Live: The One and Only Aretha Franklin -- A Benefit Concert For VH1 Save the Music Foundat (2001)
The 58th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2001)
Presenter
The Roman Empire in the First Century (2001)
Narrator
Speak Truth to Power (2000)
Conde Nast Traveler All-Star Special (2000)
Why Dogs Smile and Chimpanzees Cry (1999)
Narrator
Intimate Portrait: Jessica Tandy (1999)
Narrator
50th Emmy Awards (1998)
Presenter
Roman Polanski: The E! True Hollywood Story (1998)
The 70th Annual Academy Awards (1998)
Performer
Hometown Heroes (1998)
Interviewee
The 69th Annual Academy Awards (1997)
Presenter
The 50th Annual Tony Awards (1996)
Performer
The 67th Annual Academy Awards (1995)
Presenter
Hollywood Hotshots (1992)
The 46th Annual Tony Awards (1992)
Presenter
American Tribute to Vaclav Havel and a Celebration of Democracy in Czechoslovakia (1990)
The 3rd Annual Hollywood Insider Academy Awards Special (1989)
Premiere: Inside the Summer Blockbusters (1989)
Our Common Future (1989)
The Making of Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
Twilight of the Gorilla (1988)
The 59th Annual Academy Awards Presentation (1987)
Performer

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

The Wild Swans (1994)
Narration
Peachboy (1991)
Narration

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"

Family

Sylvester Weaver
Father
Former president of NBC. Began first cable TV station in 1963; died on March 15, 2002 at age 93.
Elizabeth Inglis
Mother
Actor.
Doodles Weaver
Uncle
Actor, comic, musician. Born on May 11, 1912; died on January 17, 1983 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Trajan Weaver
Brother
Businessman. Born c. 1945.
Charlotte Simpson
Daughter
Born in 1990.

Companions

James McClure
Companion
Actor, playwright. Together in the late 1970s and early 80s (dates approximate).
Jim Simpson
Husband
Director. Met at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 1983; began dating in October 1983; married on October 1, 1984.

Bibliography