Born October 8, 1949 in New York, New York, Susan Alexandra Weaver is the daughter of pioneer TV producer Sylvester (Pat) Weaver (1913-2002)and his wife, actress Elizabeth Inglis (1913-2007). Raised by nannies and maids, she estimated that she lived with her family in 30 homes by the time she was 12. By the age of 14, she was already 5’10”, eventually growing to 6’ 1’’ at which time she changed her name to Sigourney after a character in The Great Gasby.

Having attended various private schools as well as Stanford University, she enrolled in Yale Drama School in 1971, where she was typecast as prostitutes and old ladies because of her height while fellow student Meryl Streep was treated like royalty. In various stage productions, she made her TV debut in 1970’s Somerset and her Broadway debut as an assistant stage manager and understudy in a 1975 revival of The Constant Wife.

Weaver made her film debut in a six-second bit in 1977’s Annie Hall, followed by a minor role in 1978’s Madman. Her third film, 1979’s Alien made her an overnight sensation for which she was nominated for a BAFTA for Most Promising Newcomer to a Leading Role, losing to Dennis Christopher in Breaking Away.

A star from then on, Weaver excelled in such early 1980s films as Eyewitness, The Year of Living Dangerously, and Ghostbusters, earning an Oscar nomination for 1986’s Aliens, the first of several sequels to her 1979 hit. Two years later, she was up for two Oscars, nominated as Best Actress for Gorillas in the Mist and as Best Supporting Actress for Working Girl, losing both.

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