Susan Alexandra Weaver (born October 8, 1949), known professionally as Sigourney Weaver, is an American actress. Following her film debut as a minor character in Annie Hall (1977), she quickly came to prominence with her first lead role as Ellen Ripley in Alien (1979). She reprised the role in three sequels: Aliens (1986), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress; Alien 3 (1992), and Alien Resurrection (1997). She is also known for her starring roles in the box-office hits Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II (1989), and Avatar (2009).
Weaver was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for the 1980 Off-Broadway play Das Lusitania Songspiel, and received a Tony Award nomination for the 1984 Broadway play Hurlyburly. A seven-time Golden Globe Award nominee, she won both Best Actress in Drama and Best Supporting Actress for her work in the films Gorillas in the Mist and Working Girl (both in 1988), becoming the first person to win two acting Golden Globes in the same year. She also received Academy Award nominations for both films.