Oscar Profile #627: Sigourney Weaver

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.

Weaver’s performances in 1989’s Ghostbusters II, 1991’s Alien3, and 1992’s 1492: Conquest of Paradise were undistinguished but 1993’s Dave and 1994’s Death and the Maiden provided her with roles that she earned her among the best notices of her career. Additional memorable roles followed in 1995’s Jeffrey and Copycat. 1997’s The Ice Storm earned her a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress.

Alien: Resurrection was a commercial hit, while 1999’s A Map of the World, 2000’s Company Man, 2002’s Tadpole and The Guys, and 2004’s Imaginary Heroes were critical hits.

Weaver’s subsequent performances included those in 2006’s Infamous, 2008’s WALL-E (as the voice of the ship’s computer), and 2009’s Avatar and the TV movie, Prayers for Bobby for which she received an Emmy nomination.

More recently, Weaver has filmed four sequels to 2009’s Avatar, the first of which is due out this Christmas. Also releasing now is The Good House in which the actress co-stars with Kevin Kline.

Sigourney Weaver has been married to Jim Simpson since 1984. Their daughter Charlotte was born in 1990. She remains an acting force at 73.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

ALIENS (1986), directed by James Cameron

Nominated for 7 Oscars, and winner of 2 for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Effects Editing, this was one of the rare sequels that outperformed its original which was nominated for 2 Oscars and won 1. Weaver became a star as one of the crew in the first one and outdid herself as the former member of the crew who wakes up from hyper-sleep fifty-seven years later warning the crew of the ship that she is then on of what they are in for. Although Weaver was the only actor Oscar nominated for her performance, there were other strong contributions form the likes of Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henricksen, and Carrie Henn.

GORILLAS IN THE MIST (1988), directed by Michael Apted

Nominated for 5 Oscars including Best Actress, Weaver won a Golden Globe for her performance in a tie with Shirley MacLaine for Madame Sousatzka and Jodie Foster, who went on to win the Oscar, for The Accused. The film is the story of Dian Fossey, played by Weaver, who came to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas, and later fought to protect them. Makeup legend Rick Baker’s gorilla suited stunt men blend in so realistically with the real gorillas that not even the actors in the film could tell the difference. The baby gorillas are played by chimpanzees in blackface.

WORKING GIRL (1988), directed by Mike Nichols

Nominated for 6 Oscars including Best Picture, Director, Actress (Melanie Griffith), and 2 Best Supporting Actresses, Joan Cusack and Weaver, it won only for Best Song, Carly Simon’s “Let the River Run”, Weaver won a second Golden Globe on the same night for Best Supporting Actress. Weaver, was in fact, considered the front-runner for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress as Griffith’s boss from Hell. Weaver was the fourth actress nominated in both categories in the same year. Previous double nominees Fay Bainter, Teresa Wright, and Jessica Lange had all won in support. Weaver lost to Geena Davis in The Accidental Tourist.

THE ICE STORM (1997), directed by Ang Lee

Four years after starring opposite Kevin Kline in 1993’s Dave, Weaver and Kline were again starred in the same film but this time they were married to others in this drama about middle-class families experimenting with casual sex and substance abuse. Kline was married to Joan Allen with Tobey Maguire and Cristina Ricci playing their children while Weaver was married to Jamey Sheridan with Elijah Wood playing her son. Oscar stayed away, but the Golden Globes nominated Weaver for Best Supporting Actress and BAFTA went one further, giving her their award in that category.

THE GOOD HOUSE (2022), directed by Maya Forbes, Michael Wolodarsky

While audiences are anxiously waiting for the actress in the Christmas release of the first sequel to James Cameron’s Avatar, Weaver’s legion of fans can catch her in this low budget film which marks her third film with co-star Kevin Kline. While Kline isn’t in the film much, he does share top billing with Weaver who dominates the film as a New England realtor who tries in vain to hide her alcoholism from family, friends, and enemies alike. Weaver inherited the film from her old drama school nemesis, Meryl Streep, who was originally cast opposite Robert De Niro in Kline’s role.