Line #90 Creator/SigourneyWeaver


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6	->''"[[MamaBear Get away from her]], you [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch BITCH]]!"''
7	-->-- '''Sigourney Weaver''' as Ellen Ripley in ''Film/{{Aliens}}''
8
9	Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (born October 8, 1949 in New York City, New York) is an American actress.
10
11	She starred in the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' movies, making her one of the first actresses to headline a successful action film franchise. She even got nominated for an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Actress for the second movie, ''Film/{{Aliens}}''. Yes, a sci-fi/action/horror film, something that then and now is practically unheard of.
12
13	Her reprise of the Ripley character is culturally significant; although mothers in films were respected before ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', after Ripley's courageous rescue of Newt from the taloned grasp of the Alien Queen in 1986 [[ActionMom filmmakers began taking mothers seriously as warriors]]. Weaver also holds a Black-Belt in Goju-Ryu karate, so she is ''not'' a MamaBear you'd want to mess with in RealLife either.
14
15	Also played Dana Barrett in ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'' and [[Film/GhostbustersII its sequel]], anthropologist Dian Fossey in the film adaptation of Fossey's book ''Film/GorillasInTheMist'' (for which she got another Best Actress nomination; she also got a Best Supporting Actress nomination the same year for ''Film/WorkingGirl''), Dr Helen Hudson in ''Film/{{Copycat}}'', and Grace Augustine in ''Film/{{Avatar}}''. She also has a short, but essential, role in ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods''. In 2012 she starred as an academic professionally debunking alleged paranormal activities in ''Film/RedLights''.
16
17	Star of ''Series/PoliticalAnimals'', a 2012 Creator/USANetwork miniseries centering on a Secretary of State who [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed could not more obviously be a redheaded version]] of UsefulNotes/HillaryRodhamClinton.
18
19	She's also the daughter of Sylvester Weaver, who was a television pioneer and the creator of ''Series/{{Today}}''. She is married to theatre director Jim Simpson, and they have one child, daughter Charlotte.
20
21	----
22	!!Roles:
23	!!!Film
24
25	* ''Film/AnnieHall'' (1977) -- Alvy's Date Outside Theatre
26	* ''Film/{{Alien}}'' (1979) -- Ellen Ripley
27	* ''Film/TheYearOfLivingDangerously'' (1982) -- Jilly Bryant
28	* ''Film/DealOfTheCentury'' (1983) -- Catherine
29	* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters\|1984}}'' (1984) -- Dana Barrett
30	* ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' (1986) -- Ellen Ripley
31	* ''Film/GorillasInTheMist'' (1988) -- Dian Fossey
32	* ''Film/WorkingGirl'' (1988) -- Katharine Parker
33	* ''Film/GhostbustersII'' (1989) -- Dana Barrett
34	* ''Film/{{Alien 3}}'' (1992) -- Ellen Ripley
35	* ''Film/FourteenNinetyTwoConquestOfParadise'' (1992) -- [[UsefulNotes/TheCatholicMonarchs Queen Isabella I of Castile]]
36	* ''Film/{{Dave}}'' (1993) -- Ellen Mitchell
37	* ''Film/DeathAndTheMaiden'' (1994) -- Paulina Escobar
38	* ''Film/{{Copycat}}'' (1995) -- Dr. Helen Hudson
39	* ''Film/TheIceStorm'' (1997) -- Janey Carver
40	* ''Film/SnowWhiteATaleOfTerror'' (1997) -- Claudia Hoffman
41	* ''Film/AlienResurrection'' (1997) -- Ripley 8
42	* ''Film/GalaxyQuest'' (1999) -- Gwen [=DeMarco=]
43	* ''Film/{{Heartbreakers}}'' (2001) -- Max Conners
44	* ''Film/{{Tadpole}}'' (2002) -- Eve Grubman
45	* ''Film/{{Holes}}'' (2003) -- The Warden
46	* ''Film/{{The Village\|2004}}'' (2004) -- Alice Hunt
47	* ''Film/SnowCake'' (2006) -- Linda Freeman
48	* ''Film/TheTVSet'' (2006) -- Lenny
49	* ''WesternAnimation/HappilyNEverAfter'' (2007) -- Frieda (voice)
50	* ''Film/BeKindRewind'' (2008) -- Ms. Lawson
51	* ''Film/BabyMama'' (2008) -- Chaffee Bicknell
52	* ''Film/VantagePoint'' (2008) -- Rex Brooks
53	* ''WesternAnimation/WallE'' (2008) -- Ship's Computer (voice)
54	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTaleOfDespereaux'' (2008) -- Narrator (voice)
55	* ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' (2009) -- Dr. Grace Augustine
56	* ''Film/YouAgain'' (2010) -- Ramona Clark
57	* ''Film/CedarRapids'' (2011) -- Marcy Vanderhei
58	* ''Film/{{Paul}}'' (2011) -- The Big Guy
59	* ''Film/{{Abduction}}'' (2011) -- Dr. Bennett
60	* ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'' (2012) -- The Director
61	* ''Film/RedLights'' (2012) -- Dr. Margaret Matheson
62	* ''Film/ExodusGodsAndKings'' (2014) -- Queen Tuya
63	* ''Film/{{Chappie}}'' (2015) -- Michelle Bradley
64	* ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory'' (2016) -- [[AsHerself Sigourney Weaver]] (Voice)
65	* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters\|2016}}'' (2016) -- Dr. Rebecca Gorin (cameo)
66	* ''Literature/AMonsterCalls'' (2016) -- Grandma
67	* ''Film/{{Rakka}}'' (2017) -- Jasper
68	* ''Film/GhostbustersAfterlife'' (2021) -- Dana Barrett (mid-credits cameo)
69	* ''Film/AvatarTheWayOfWater'' (2022) -- Kiri, Dr. Grace Augustine (cameo)
70
71	!!!Television
72
73	* ''Series/PlanetEarth'' (2006) -- Narrator (US version)
74	* ''Series/PoliticalAnimals'' (2012) -- Elaine Barrish
75	* ''Series/{{The Defenders\|2017}}'' (2017) -- Alexandra Reid
76	* ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance'' (2019) -- The Myth Speaker (voice)
77
78	!!!Video Games
79
80	* ''VideoGame/AlienIsolation'' (2014) -- Ellen Ripley (voice)
81
82	----
83	!!Tropes:
84
85	* ActionGirl[=/=]LadyOfWar: One of the codifiers for women as leads in action films.
86	* ActorAllusion: A scene in ''{{Film/Heartbreakers}}'' plays a musical theme from ''Alien'' in the background.
87	* ActorInspiredElement:
88	** Sigourney is very anti-gun and that is the reason there is a lack of them in ''{{Film/Alien3}}''. Ripley in fact never holds a gun once in the movie.
89	** It was her idea in ''{{Film/Heartbreakers}}'' to dress the housekeeper up like Mrs Danvers from ''{{Film/Rebecca\|1940}}''.
90	* [[AsHimself As Herself]]: She's the first person to do it in a Pixar film, as the marine institute in ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory'' uses her voice as an automated tour guide. Amusingly, she's actually credited as "Sigourney Weaver" rather than the usual "herself."
91	* AwesomeDearBoy:
92	** The reason she has a cameo in ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods''? She wanted to do a scene with [[spoiler: a werewolf]].
93	** She was convinced to do ''Film/AlienResurrection'' after reading the scene where Ripley discovers the seven failed attempts at cloning her, as well as getting a love scene with the aliens (something she had been pressing to do since the third film).
94	** A major reason for signing onto ''{{Film/Heartbreakers}}'' (besides finding the script funny) was Max singing "Back in the USSR" in a Russian restaurant.
95	* BestKnownForTheFanservice:
96	** ''Half Moon Street'' is known entirely for the plentiful nudity from Sigourney, as she plays a woman who moonlights as a hooker.
97	** ''{{Film/Heartbreakers}}'' is also known for both Sigourney and Creator/JenniferLoveHewitt walking around in form-flattering dresses.
98	** She spends the climax of ''Film/{{Alien}}'' in very tiny skivvies, complete with the camera dropping to crotch level.
99	* BillingDisplacement: Exploited for ''Alien'' where she is billed second after Tom Skerrit. She was an unknown at the time and the cast were killed off based on how [[DeadStarWalking famous they were]]. As the film turned Sigourney into a star, this effect is lost on modern viewers.
100	* CastingGag:
101	** Sigourney's role as Dr Grace Augustine calls back to her role in ''Film/GorillasInTheMist''. Both Dian and Grace are scientists who came to study an exotic land, and end up fighting to protect the local wildlife.
102	** Any contemporary appearance in the sci-fi or horror genre (such as ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'' or ''Film/{{Rakka}}'') is most like due to her most famous role.
103	* CelebrityVoiceActor: As the Planet Express Ship in an episode of ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}''.
104	* DoesNotLikeGuns: Caused a bit of friction on the set of ''Aliens'', and a main reason why there are none in ''Alien 3''.
105	* DoingItForTheArt: "I'd rather have a small part in a movie I love than a bigger part in one I don't care about." She also says she'd rather work with a first time director who's enthusiastic about the project, rather than a veteran who doesn't care.
106	* DyeingForYourArt:
107	** Shaved her head for ''{{Film/Alien3}}''. In fact one of the reasons she signed on for the film was David Fincher suggesting Ripley be bald. But her young daughter didn't like her being bald, so she wore a wig when off set. Months later when re-shoots were to be done, her hair had grown back and she refused to shave it off again. So an expensive bald cap was made.
108	** She dyed her hair red for ''{{Film/Avatar}}''.
109	* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: She and Creator/MerylStreep were classmates at Yale's Drama School.
110	* FakeNationality: Egyptian in ''Film/ExodusGodsAndKings'', helped by {{Brownface}}.
111	* HappilyMarried: Married to director Jim Simpson since 1986. We mention it primarily because he directed her in the play ''The Guys'' (about the immediate aftermath of 9/11).
112	* IKnowKarate: ''Literally'', as stated above, and she gets to use it to beat up Creator/SimonPegg and Creator/NickFrost single-handedly in the finale of ''Film/{{Paul}}''.
113	* MemeticBadass: There's a reason she's what you think of when you hear MamaBear. This was also a major reason for her playing the BigBad in ''Series/TheDefenders2017'', as Jeph Loeb stated they needed to find an actor you could believe couldn't be defeated by any less than the whole team.
114	* MoneyDearBoy: The other reason she gave for returning for ''Film/AlienResurrection''. The salary was $11 million, more than what the first film had cost to make.
115	--> "They basically drove a dump truck full of money to my house."
116	* MotherlyScientist: In ''Film/GorillasInTheMist'' and ''Film/{{Avatar}}''.
117	* PlayingAgainstType:
118	** ''{{Film/Heartbreakers}}'' has her playing a MrsRobinson type con-woman. ''Film/SnowWhiteATaleOfTerror'' has her playing the WickedWitch.
119	** ''{{Film/Ghostbusters1984}}'' was this too. She was known mostly for serious roles, but she had studied comedy and longed to star in one.
120	** ''Film/GalaxyQuest'' was a rare foray into broad comedy, as well as a character who is overwhelmed in perilous situations to the point her key skill is RepeatToConfirm with the ship's computer.
121	* RealLifeRelative: Her mother Elizabeth Inglis provided the picture of Ripley's aged daughter Amanda in ''{{Film/Aliens}}''.
122	* ShoutOut: Her name comes from Sigourney Howard, a character from ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby''. The name "Sigourney" means "The Conqueror" in Norse.
123	* SoMyKidsCanWatch: She starred in ''{{Film/Holes}}'' because it is her daughter's favourite book. After finishing the book, her daughter actually ran and told her "You have to play this awful person!"
124	* StarMakingRole: ''{{Film/Alien}}'' got the ball rolling and ''{{Film/Aliens}}'' solidified it.
125	* StatuesqueStunner: One of the things that impressed Creator/RidleyScott when she auditioned for ''Film/{{Alien}}'' was her height (she's 5'11", and was wearing boots with heels to the audition), along with her confident attitude.
126	* ThrowItIn: She ad-libbed the "you're more like a game show host" line from ''{{Film/Ghostbusters1984}}''.
127	* TypeCasting: A large amount of movies in TheNewTens have featured her playing the head or someone who works for an evil organisation.
128	* UnkemptBeauty: She is made up this way in some of her roles, particularly when playing an ActionGirl.
129	* VitriolicBestBuds: With Creator/JamesCameron. She claims to have based her portrayal of Dr. Grace Augustine in ''Avatar'' on him, saying he is a real JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
130	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
131	** Bryan Singer's original vision for ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'' would have had Sigourney playing Emma Frost. If that's hard to picture, her character in ''{{Film/Heartbreakers}}'' is quite similar.
132	** Ripley was originally going to be shown fully nude in the climax of ''{{Film/Alien}}'' as she changes into the spacesuit. The alien was even going to be DistractedByTheSexy for a moment. Producers were anxious about the film getting banned in other countries and had Ripley wearing underwear (other scripted nude scenes were cut as well). Sigourney initially felt it was a cop-out, but later said it was for the best (imagining the amount of lewd fan mail she'd have inevitably gotten).
133	** An early idea for ''{{Film/Alien 3}}'' was to be a two-part movie - with Sigourney only making a cameo appearance in the first part (Ripley being left comatose) and focus switching to Creator/MichaelBiehn as Hicks. Some drafts considered dropping her altogether, as they weren't sure whether Sigourney would commit to a third film.
134	** She was cast for in the sequel to ''Film/TheMortalInstrumentsCityOfBones'', reportedly being cast in the role of Imogen Herondale, before the sequel was scrapped.

Context Creator / SigourneyWeaver