Sigourney Weaver
Biography
Sigourney Weaver is an American actress who has worked prolifically in film since the late 1970s, known for playing action heroines in blockbusters and for roles in independent dramas. Born in New York City, she made her screen debut in a small part in Annie Hall (1977) and broke through two years later as Ellen Ripley in Alien (1979), a character she returned to in Aliens (1986), which brought her a first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and in two further films. She played Dana Barrett across the Ghostbusters films and appeared as Dr. Grace Augustine and Kiri in the Avatar series. In 1989 she won two Golden Globes and received simultaneous Oscar nominations for Gorillas in the Mist and Working Girl, and she later won a BAFTA for The Ice Storm (1997). Her other work includes lending her voice to WALL-E (2008) and Finding Dory (2016), and Broadway appearances that earned her a Tony nomination.
76years old
Turns 77 on October 8in 10 days
- Born Manhattan
- Star sign: LibraThe sign runs September 23 to October 22
- Susan Alexandra Weaver (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 72
- Career span
- 47 years1979 to 2026
Genres
First and latest
Photos
Did you know?!
Big break
Weaver's breakthrough as Ellen Ripley in Alien went to her after a late casting change; Veronica Cartwright had been set for the lead but was switched to the navigator Lambert.
A role that slipped away
Weaver's role in Annie Hall was originally more substantial, but it was scaled back because she was committed to the Durang play Titanic.
Early training
Some of Weaver's acting teachers called her "talentless" and told her to stick to comedy. She earned an MFA from Yale in 1974.
Beyond film
While at Yale in 1974, Weaver took part in the first staging of Stephen Sondheim's musical The Frogs, appearing with Larry Blyden and with Meryl Streep and Durang, who were fellow students.
First role
In 1974 Weaver made her Broadway debut in The Constant Wife, a play by William Somerset Maugham, and she acted opposite Ingrid Bergman.
Sigourney Weaver movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
James Cameron directed four of these films, Ridley Scott three and Ivan Reitman three. Zoe Saldana appears in five of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Zoe Saldana's page
Lance Henriksen's page
Dan Aykroyd's page
Stephen Lang's page
Ernie Hudson's page
Kevin Kline's page
All films by James Cameron
All films by Ridley Scott
All films by Ivan Reitman
Also four films together3 more actors
- Giovanni RibisiAvatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Capturing Avatar (2010) and Avatar (2009)
- Sam WorthingtonAvatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Capturing Avatar (2010) and Avatar (2009)
- Annie PottsGhostbusters: Afterlife (2021), Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019), Ghostbusters II (1989) and Ghostbusters (1984)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Sigourney Weaver's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$11.9 billion
53 of the 72 films have a worldwide figure, in dollars of the day.
Of the 72 films: 53 worldwide figure; 9 us gross only; 5 never in cinemas; 5 figure not found.
- 53Worldwide figure
- 9US gross only
- 5Never in cinemas
- 5Figure not found
Top grosser
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 78% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$2.9B24.7% of the total
- 2$2.3B19.7% of the total
- 3$1.5B12.5% of the total
- 4$1.0B8.7% of the total
- 5$521M4.4% of the total
- 6$345M2.9% of the total
- 7$297M2.5% of the total
- 8$268M2.3% of the total
$2.7 billionfrom the other 45 films with a worldwide figure, 22% of the total
Awards
Ten awards and honors from 1987 to 2026, three of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Globes | |||
| 1988 | Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama | Gorillas in the Mist | Won |
| 1988 | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Working Girl | Won |
| BAFTA | |||
| 1998 | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | The Ice Storm | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2026 | Knight of the Legion of Honour | Won | |
| 2024 | International Goya Award | Won | |
| 2011 | Rachel Carson Award | Won | |
| 1998 | Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year | Won | |
| 1987 | Saturn Award for Best Actress | Aliens | Won |
| Jupiter Awards | Won | ||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.