Sigourney Weaver

Actor

Actor Sigourney Weaver is best known for the role of Ellen Ripley, the no-nonsense protagonist of the Alien movie series (1979-97). She made her film debut in a small part in the Woody Allen comedy Annie Hall (1977), and the success of Alien just two years later vaulted her to leading lady status. Statuesque and aloof, Weaver is known as a "serious" actress for her performances in movies such as The Year of Living Dangerously (1982, co-starring Mel Gibson), Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey (1988) and The Ice Storm (1997), but she has also starred in several hit comedies, including Ghost Busters (1984, with Bill Murray), Working Girl (1988, with Harrison Ford) and the sci-fi spoof Galaxy Quest (1999). Her other films include Death and the Maiden (1994, with Ben Kingsley), Holes (2003) and M. Night Shyamalan's The Village (2004).

Extra credit: Weaver received Oscar nominations for the Alien sequel Aliens (Best Actress, nominated 1987), Gorillas in the Mist (Best Actress, nominated 1989) and Working Girl (Best Supporting Actress, nominated 1989); she was nominated for the latter two in the same year... Weaver is the daughter of former NBC President Sylvester "Pat" Weaver... Ripley's cat in Alien is named Jones.