Struggling on stage through many stage performances, Weaver found her first break in a 6 second shot in a Woody Allen film Annie Hall (1977) which she was paid a whopping sum of $50 and by 1997 she made an estimated $11 million for the film Alien Resurrection.
Her professors were quite wrong after she garnered three Oscar nominations for her work in three different genres -- action (Aliens), comedy (Working Girl), and drama (Gorillas in the Mist), she has proved her point.
Susan Alexander Weaver was born October 8, 1949 in New York. Her parents were former NBC president (1953-55) Sylvester (Pat, who created the Today show) and former actress Desiree (Liz) Weaver. Weaver was a fan of the time classic novel The Great Gatsby and at the youthful age of 14 assumed the name of a minor book character Sigourney.
Sigourney’s major break through came with the Sci-Fi horror film Alien (1979) with the role as Lt. Ellen Ripley, astronaut with a don’t-mess-with-me attitude facing an unknown man-eating alien.
Weaver’s acting career escalated through the 70’s and 80’s, leading her to more poignant screen roles in the 90’s. Some of the more notable movies that everyone has seen endless re-runs of are: Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II (1989) with Bill Murray where she is the love possession of the demon Zool. These two horror comedies brought great audience appeal with a lighthearted cast that became the rage of the 80’s with a song any kid would recognize.
Another great comedy was Working Girl (1988) where Melanie Griffith an ambitious but frustrated secretary who takes advantage of her boss' (Weaver) skiing accident. If you haven’t seen this one, it is really good.
In the movie Half Moon Street (1986), Weaver played an American woman living in London who turned to working for an escort service to support her and winds up in political intrigue.
But her most renowned and true life character portrayal was her rendition of Diana Fossey in a touching movie Gorillas in the Mist (1988). This part became an emotional journey for Sigourney that she joined the DFGF (Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund) and now is an honorary chair to the board of trustees.
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