Sigourney Weaver

Veteran actor Sigourney weaver was born Susan Alexander Weaver on Oct. 8, 1949 in New York City. The daughter of the late Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, former president of NBC, and British actress Elizabeth Inglis, who died in 2002, Weaver has been critically acclaimed for her work in more than 30 cinematic roles.

Weaver's family moved frequently throughout what was said to be a privileged childhood; by the late 1950s Weaver is said to have lived in 30 different residences. As a teenager, Susan, inspired by a character in The Great Gatsby, changed her name to Sigourney. Following her graduation from a prep school in Connecticut, Weaver studied English literature at Stanford University, then switched to the Yale School of Drama in New York. During this time she performed in a series of theatrical roles.

Weaver broke into movies in 1977 in the classic comedy Annie Hall. It was a bit part, but two years later, in 1979, she took on the role she would be most famous for: the tough but complex Ellen Ripley in the horror film Alien. (Weaver won an Academy award for the role.)The character would later be reprised in three sequels, Aliens (1986), Alien III (1992) and Alien: Resurrection (1997).

In 1984, Weaver married James Simpson, an Obie award winning director and founder of the Flea Theatre in New York City. A daughter, Charlotte, was born to the theatrical couple on April 13, 1990. Throughout the course of her career, Weaver has shown herself to be a versatile actor, with roles ranging from the wry Dana Barrett in Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), to yuppy-caricature Katharine Parker in Working Girl (1988), to the real-life unsung hero Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist (1989). Following the film's release, Weaver took a personal interest in the life and mission of Ms. Fossey, an American Zoologist whose life work involved the observation of gorillas in Rwanda. Weaver became active in The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and today is the organization's honorary chairperson.

In a lighthearted departure, Weaver portrayed a vulnerable First Lady in the comedy Dave (1993). She later turned out chilling performances in 1995's Copycat and 1997's Snow White: A Tale of Terror. In 2003, Weaver was honored as number 20 in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Movie Stars of All Time. Only two women achieved top 20 status in the survey, the other being Audrey Hepburn. Weaver's performance in the 2006 independent drama Snow Cake earned the actor recognition in a new light as she delivered a believable portrayal of an autistic mother and friend. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and was recognized at five separate film festivals.

Today, Weaver is active in environmentalism, narrating for the Discovery presentation Planet Earth and speaking out against harmful fishing methods in front of the United Nations in 2006. She is said to remain in friendly contact with several of her former Alien co-stars. Weaver continues to turn out new cinematic performances, with four films in production for release in 2008 and one scheduled for 2009.

-sigourneyweaver.org