Sigourney Weaver Height, Weight, Age, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More

Sigourney Weaver (born 8 October 1949, Age: 74 years old) is one of the most versatile and influential actresses in Hollywood history. With a career spanning over five decades, she has starred in some of the most iconic films of all time, such as Alien, Ghostbusters, Avatar, and Gorillas in the Mist. She has also earned critical acclaim and numerous awards, including a BAFTA, two Golden Globes, and a Grammy, as well as three Oscar nominations.

She is widely regarded as a trailblazer for women in cinema, especially in the genres of science fiction and action, where she portrayed strong, independent, and complex characters. But who is the woman behind the screen? How did she become the icon that she is today? And what are her upcoming projects? In this article, we will explore the life and career of Sigourney Weaver, the actor and activist who defied expectations and changed the face of Hollywood.

Family Background & Early Life

Sigourney Weaver was born Susan Alexandra Weaver on October 8, 1949, in New York City. She is the daughter of Elizabeth Inglis, an English actress who appeared in films such as The 39 Steps and The Letter, and Sylvester “Pat” Weaver Jr., an American television executive who served as president of NBC and created shows such as Today and The Tonight Show. She has a brother, Trajan, who is an actor and producer. She also has an uncle, Winstead “Doodles” Weaver, who was a comedian and actor.

Sigourney Weaver Wiki/Bio

Net Worth & Income Sources

According to various sources, Sigourney Weaver has a net worth of $60 million as of 2023. She has earned this fortune through her acting roles and voice acting roles, especially in the science fiction genre. Weaver’s salary from Annie Hall was around $50,000. 

She received $2,000 from Madman and $30,000 from her movie Alien as a salary. She also earned $1,000,000 from its sequel Aliens. For Alien 3, Weaver received $4,000,000, and $11,000,000 for Alien Resurrection. She reportedly made $1 million for Ghostbusters II and $11 million for Avatar.

Physical Stats

Sigourney Weaver is known for her tall and slender physique. She stands at 5 feet 11 inches or 182 cm (1.82 m) tall, and her weight is 62 kg or 137 pounds. Her body measurements are 35-26-36 inches or 88.9-66-91.4 cm. Her eye color is brown and her hair color is blonde.

Controversies

• Sigourney Weaver was criticized by some members of the LGBT community for playing a transgender woman in the film The Assignment (2016), which was accused of using surgery as a sensational plot device. Weaver defended her role by saying no one was demeaned or denigrated.
• She was involved in a dispute with James Cameron over the removal of a scene from Aliens (1986) that showed her character mourning her daughter, who had died during her 57-year cryosleep. Weaver considered the scene crucial for her character development and motivation, but it was cut from the theatrical release due to studio pressure. Cameron later agreed that the scene should have been kept and restored it in the director’s cut.
• She was sent for medical testing by her parents when she was a child due to her unusual height. She reportedly reached the height of 179 cm (5 ft 10 in) by the age of 11, which harmed her self-esteem. She recalled feeling like “a giant spider” and never having “the confidence to ever think I could act”.

Education & Training

Sigourney Weaver grew up in a privileged and artistic environment, surrounded by celebrities and media figures. She attended the Ethel Walker School, a boarding school for girls in Connecticut, where she developed an interest in drama and literature. She also became involved in social activism, participating in sit-ins and marches against the Vietnam War. She chose the name Sigourney at age 14, after a character in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, because she felt that Susan was too short for her height of 5 feet 11 inches (1.8 meters).

Sigourney Weaver graduated from Stanford University in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in English. She then enrolled at Yale University, where she studied drama and earned a master of fine arts degree in 1974. She was classmates with Meryl Streep, Christopher Durang, Wendy Wasserstein, and Albert Innaurato, who became her friends and collaborators. She faced criticism and discouragement from some of her teachers, who doubted her talent and potential as an actress. However, she persevered and proved them wrong with her passion and dedication.

Career Breakthrough and Stardom

Weaver began her professional acting career on stage, appearing in off-Broadway plays such as Gemini, Titanic, and Das Lusitania Songspiel, which she co-wrote with Durang. She also made her film debut in a minor role in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall in 1977. Her big break came in 1979, when she was cast as Ellen Ripley, the warrant officer and sole survivor of a spaceship attacked by a deadly alien, in Ridley Scott’s science fiction horror film Alien. The role was originally written for a man, but the filmmakers decided to make it a woman to add a twist and a timely message.

Weaver delivered a breakthrough performance, combining intelligence, courage, and vulnerability, and creating one of the most iconic and influential female characters in cinema history. She reprised the role in three sequels: Aliens (1986), directed by James Cameron, Alien 3 (1992), directed by David Fincher, and Alien Resurrection (1997), directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. She received her first Oscar nomination for Aliens, as well as a Saturn Award and a Golden Globe nomination.

Sigourney Weaver continued to showcase her versatility and range in the 1980s, starring in films of various genres and tones. She played Dana Barrett, the love interest of Bill Murray’s character and the target of a supernatural threat, in the comedy blockbuster Ghostbusters (1984) and its sequel Ghostbusters II (1989). She also received critical acclaim and a Tony Award nomination for her role in the Broadway play Hurlyburly (1984), directed by Mike Nichols.

She achieved a rare feat in 1988, when she won two Golden Globe Awards in the same year, for her performances in Gorillas in the Mist and Working Girl. She also received Oscar nominations for both films, making her one of the few actors to be nominated twice in the same year. In Gorillas in the Mist, she played Dian Fossey, the real-life primatologist who dedicated her life to studying and protecting mountain gorillas in Rwanda. In Working Girl, she played Katharine Parker, the ruthless and manipulative boss of Melanie Griffith’s character, who steals her ideas and tries to sabotage her career.

Diverse Roles and Projects

In the 1990s, Weaver continued to explore different roles and projects, both on screen and on stage. She won the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Ice Storm (1997), directed by Ang Lee, in which she played Janey Carver, a bored and unhappy suburban housewife who has an affair with her neighbor. She also starred in films such as Death and the Maiden (1994), directed by Roman Polanski, in which she played a former political prisoner who confronts her alleged torturer; Copycat (1995), a thriller in which she played a criminal psychologist who suffers from agoraphobia; and Galaxy Quest (1999), a comedy in which she played a parody of her own sci-fi persona, as an actress who starred in a cult TV show. She also appeared in plays such as Sex and Longing (1996), written by Wasserstein, and The Merchant of Venice (1999), in which she played Portia.

In the 2000s, Sigourney Weaver ventured into voice acting, lending her voice to animated films such as The Tale of Despereaux (2008), WALL-E (2008), and Finding Dory (2016), as well as documentaries such as Planet Earth (2006) and The Beatles: Eight Days a Week (2016). She also starred in films such as The Village (2004), directed by M. Night Shyamalan, in which she played the leader of a secluded community that lives in fear of mysterious creatures; Vantage Point (2008), a thriller in which she played a TV news producer who witnesses an assassination attempt on the U.S. president; and Avatar (2009), directed by Cameron, in which she played Dr. Grace Augustine, a scientist who studies the alien world of Pandora. Avatar became the highest-grossing film of all time, and Weaver received a Saturn Award and a SAG Award nomination for her performance. She also appeared in TV movies such as Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997), Prayers for Bobby (2009), and Political Animals (2013), for which she received Emmy Award nominations.

In the 2010s and 2020s, Weaver continued to work in various mediums and genres, demonstrating her longevity and relevance. She starred in films such as Chappie (2015), directed by Neill Blomkamp, in which she played the CEO of a weapons company that produces sentient robots; A Monster Calls (2016), directed by J.A. Bayona, in which she played the grandmother of a boy who befriends a tree-like creature; and The Meyerowitz Stories (2017), directed by Noah Baumbach, in which she played a cameo role as herself.

She also won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for narrating the humor book Earth (The Book) (2010), written by Jon Stewart and the writers of The Daily Show. She also reprised her role as Dana Barrett in the reboot of Ghostbusters (2016), and is set to return as Dr. Grace Augustine in the upcoming sequels of Avatar, directed by Cameron, which are scheduled to be released in 2022, 2024, 2026, and 2028.

Husband, Kids & Relationship

Sigourney Weaver has been married to stage director Jim Simpson since October 1, 1984. They have one daughter, Charlotte, who was born in 1990. They live in Manhattan, New York. Weaver is a vegetarian and an environmental activist, who supports causes such as the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, the Trickle Up Program, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. She is also a human rights advocate, who has spoken out against the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. She is a supporter of the Democratic Party and has endorsed candidates such as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden.

Activism

Sigourney Weaver is widely respected and admired by her peers and fans, who consider her a role model and an inspiration. She has received numerous honors and awards, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Empire Awards, and a Golden Camera Award from Germany. She has also been ranked among the greatest movie stars of all time by various publications and polls, such as Channel 4, Entertainment Weekly, and Empire.

She is regarded as one of the most influential women in cinema, especially in the fields of science fiction and action, where she paved the way for other actresses to play strong, independent, and complex characters. She is also known for her versatility, range, and longevity, as well as her integrity, professionalism, and passion. She is Sigourney Weaver, the iconic actress who defied expectations and changed the face of Hollywood.

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