Biography
After only a few years paying her dues, Weaver achieved overnight stardom as the tenacious heroine, Ellen Ripley, of Ridley Scott's sci-fi thriller "Alien" (1979). The sole survivor of the original movie, Weaver returned to play Ripley for three more "Alien" sequels, setting the standard for big-screen heroines for generations to come. A statuesque beauty who became a kind of thinking man's sex symbol, Weaver lit up the screen throughout the …
Latest Tv Credits
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Career Milestones
| Formed Goat Cay Productions | ||
| Off-Broadway debut in Christopher Durang's "The Nature and Purpose of the Universe" | ||
| Returned to the U.S. and enrolled at Yale | ||
1963 | Began using the name Sigourney (after a character mentioned in "The Great Gatsby") | |
1965 | Made early stage appearances in Southbury, CT | |
1971 | After attending Stanford, moved to Israel and lived on a kibbutz | |
1974 | Appeared with Meryl Streep in the chorus of the Stephen Sondheim adaptation of "The Frogs" performed at Yale | |
1974 | Broadway debut (as understudy) in "The Constant Wife" | |
1976 | Film acting debut in "Madman" (Israel) | |
1976 | TV debut as a regular on the NBC soap "Somerset"; appeared alongside Ted Danson and JoBeth Williams | |
1976 | With Durang, co-wrote and co-starred in "Das Lusitania Songspiel"; produced off-off-Broadway | |
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 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 | |
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 | |
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 | Re-teamed with Kline in Ang Lee's mood piece "The Ice Storm" | |
1997 | TV-movie debut as the wicked stepmother in "Snow White: A Tale of Terror" (original intended for theatrical release but aired on Showtime); earned an Emmy nomination | |
1999 | Received star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (December 16) | |
1999 | Teamed with Julianne Moore for the screen version of the novel "A Map of the World" | |
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 teen feature "Holes" | |
2004 | Starred in M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" with William Hurt and Joaquin Phoenix | |
2004 | Starred with Jeff Daniels in the family drama "Imaginary Heroes" | |
2006 | Played a Manhattan socialite in the Truman Capote biopic "Infamous" | |
2007 | Cast in the network satire "The TV Set," directed by Jake Kasdan and starring David Duchovny | |
2007 | Portrayed an autistic woman opposite Alan Rickman in "Snow Cake" | |
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" | |
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 | |
2009 | Re-teamed with James Cameron for the 3-D science fiction epic film "Avatar" | |
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 alongside Robert De Niro and Cillian Murphy in thriller "Red Lights" | |
2012 | Cast in the crime drama "Rampart" opposite Woody Harrelson | |
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 | |
Awards
1979 | BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer To Leading Film Roles in Alien |
1986 | Academy Award for Actress In a Leading Role in Aliens |
1986 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama in Aliens |
1988 | Academy Award for Actress In a Leading Role in Gorillas in the Mist |
1988 | Academy Award for Actress In a Supporting Role in Working Girl |
1988 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama in Gorillas in the Mist |
1988 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in Working Girl |
1989 | BAFTA Award for Actress In a Supporting Role in Working Girl |
1997 | BAFTA Award for Actress In a Supporting Role in The Ice Storm |
1997 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in The Ice Storm |
1998 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries in Snow White: A Tale of Terror |
1999 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama in A Map of the World |
2009 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in Prayers for Bobby |
2009 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie in Prayers for Bobby |
2010 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries in Prayers for Bobby |