Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver is a groundbreaking actress who redefined the role of women in action and science fiction cinema. Born Susan Alexandra Weaver in Manhattan, New York, she adopted the name Sigourney as a teenager, inspired by a character in “The Great Gatsby.” The daughter of NBC television president Sylvester “Pat” Weaver, she studied at Stanford University and the Yale School of Drama before beginning her professional acting career in the late 1970s.

Weaver’s career-defining role came in Ridley Scott’s “Alien” (1979), where she portrayed Ellen Ripley, a character who became one of cinema’s most iconic heroines. She reprised the role in “Aliens” (1986), earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, a rare honor for a science fiction performance. She received two more Oscar nominations in the same year (1989) for “Gorillas in the Mist” and “Working Girl,” establishing her as one of Hollywood’s most respected dramatic actresses. Her other notable credits include “Ghostbusters” (1984), “The Year of Living Dangerously” (1982), and “Galaxy Quest” (1999).

In the 2000s and 2010s, Weaver continued to work steadily in both mainstream and independent cinema. She joined James Cameron’s “Avatar” (2009) as Dr. Grace Augustine, and reprised her role in “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022), which grossed over $2.3 billion worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films ever made. Her involvement in the Avatar franchise has been a significant boost to her career earnings.

Weaver has also been active on Broadway, earning a Tony nomination for “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” (2013). She is a dedicated environmental activist and has served on the board of several conservation organizations. Married to stage director Jim Simpson since 1984, Weaver maintains a relatively private personal life. Her combination of franchise blockbusters, prestige projects, and enduring cultural relevance has brought her estimated net worth to $60 million as of 2026.