Join us for a 90-minute Career Retrospective of actor Sigourney Weaver, moderated by David Canfield, The Hollywood Reporter.

BIO:

Three-time Academy Award®-nominated and BAFTA and Golden Globe®-winning actress Sigourney Weaver (Kiri) has created a host of memorable characters, both dramatic and comic, in films ranging from Ripley in “Alien” to Dian Fossey in “Gorillas in the Mist” to Gwen/Tawny in “Galaxy Quest.” Over the years, she has captivated audiences and won acclaim as one of the most versatile actresses on both stage and screen. In 2024, Weaver was awarded the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the 81st Venice International Film Festival as well as the International Goya Award at the 38th Spanish Academy Goya Awards for her decades-long career and contribution to cinema. 

Born and educated in New York City, Weaver graduated from Stanford University and went onto receive a master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama. Her first professional job was in Sir John Gielgud’s production of “The Constant Wife,” working with Ingrid Bergman. 

Weaver made her motion picture debut in Ridley Scott’s 1979 blockbuster “Alien.” She later reprised the role of Warrant Officer Ripley in James Cameron’s 1986 “Aliens”; her performance earned her Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominations for best actress. In 1992, she again brought Ripley back to life in David Fincher’s “Alien 3,” which she also co-produced, and in 1997, she starred in and co-produced “Alien: Resurrection” for director Jean-Pierre Jeunet.   

In 1988, Weaver portrayed primatologist Dian Fossey in “Gorillas in the Mist” and Katharine Parker in the Mike Nichols comedy “Working Girl.” Both performances earned her Academy Award® nominations, and she was awarded the Golden Globe® for best actress and best supporting actress in a motion picture. Next, she starred in the 1989 hit “Ghostbusters II,” directed by Ivan Reitman alongside Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. Other films include “The Year of Living Dangerously” (1982) with Mel Gibson and Linda Hunt, “Eyewitness” (1981) with William Hurt, “Half Moon Street” (1986) with Michael Caine, Ridley Scott’s “1492: Conquest of Paradise” (1992), “One Woman or Two” (1985) with Gerard Depardieu, Roman Polanski’s gripping film adaptation of “Death and the Maiden” (1994), the thriller “Copycat” (1995), and Paul Rudnick’s comedy “Jeffrey” (1995). Weaver also starred in Showtime’s live-action film

“Snow White” (1997), based on the original Grimm’s fairytale, which earned her an Emmy® nomination and a Screen Actors Guild® nomination. 

In 1997, Weaver joined the ensemble of Ang Lee’s critically acclaimed film “The Ice Storm,” alongside Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Elijah Wood, and Christina Ricci. Her performance garnered her a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe® nomination, and a Screen Actors Guild® nomination for best supporting actress. She later gave a galvanizing performance in “A Map of the World” (1999), Scott Elliott’s powerful drama based on the novel by Jane Hamilton, which earned her universal critical praise and a Golden Globe nomination for best actress. Also in 1999, Weaver appeared in the science fiction comedy “Galaxy Quest,” directed by Dean Parisot, alongside Tim Allen and Alan Rickman. She delighted audiences with her flair for comedy, and the film proved to be a hit of the 1999 holiday season. She followed this with the popular comedy “Heartbreakers” (2001), opposite Gene Hackman and Jennifer Love-Hewitt. 

In 2002, Weaver starred in the film version of “The Guys,” with Anthony LaPaglia, directed by Jim Simpson, and in 2003, she portrayed the cold-blooded, red-headed warden in the hit comedy “Holes,” directed by Andy Davis. The next year, Weaver appeared in M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village” and received rave reviews for her performance in “Imaginary Heroes,” written and directed by Dan Harris. 

In 2006, she appeared in “Infamous” (2006), Jake Kasdan’s “The TV Set” (2006), and “Snow Cake” (2006) opposite Alan Rickman. In the following years, Weaver lent her voice to Pixar’s 2008 box office smash “WALL-E,” as well as “The Tale of Despereaux” (2008) with Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Watson. She also starred in the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler comedy “Baby Mama” (2008) and Andy Fickman’s comedy “You Again” (2010). In December 2009, she starred in James Cameron’s groundbreaking film “Avatar,” which went on to be the highest-grossing film of all time. The film won the Golden Globe® for best picture and received an Academy Award® nomination for best picture.    

Other credits include Drew Goddard’s “The Cabin in the Woods” (2012), Miguel Arteta’s “Cedar Rapids” (2011), “Paul” (2011), Amy Heckerling’s “Vamps” (2012), and Neil Blomkamp’s “Chappie” (2015). In December 2016, she starred in Focus Features’ “A Monster Calls,” alongside Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, and newcomer Lewis MacDougall, followed by Lionsgate’s “Reassignment,” with Michelle Rodriguez, directed by Walter Hill in 2017. 

In addition to her film credits, Weaver has also shone on stage. She started out on off-off Broadway in Christopher Durang’s “The Nature and Purpose of the Universe” (1974), “Titanic” (1976), and “Das Lusitania Songspiel” (1980). She and Durang co-wrote “Das Lusitania,” which earned them both Drama Desk nominations. She has appeared in numerous off-Broadway productions in New York, working with such writers as John Guare, Albert Innaurato, Richard Nelson, and Len Jenkin. In regional repertoire, she has performed works by Pinter, Williams, Feydeau, and Shakespeare. Weaver also appeared in the PBS mini-series “The Best of Families” (1977). 

Weaver received a Tony Award® nomination for her starring role in “Hurlyburly” (1984) on Broadway, directed by Mike Nichols. She played Portia in the Classic Stage Company of New York’s production of “The Merchant of Venice” (1986). In 1996, Weaver returned to Broadway in the Lincoln Center production of “Sex and Longing,” written by Christopher Durang. In Fall 2012, she starred in the Lincoln Center production of Christopher Durang’s “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” which moved to Broadway in 2013. That year, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” took home the Tony Award for best play. 

Weaver originated the female lead in Anne Nelson’s “The Guys” (2001) at The Flea, where it was commissioned and directed by Jim Simpson. “The Guys” tells the story of a fire captain dealing with the aftermath of 9/11. In 2002, she starred in Neil LaBute’s play “The Mercy Seat,” opposite Liev Schreiber, which John Lahr of The New Yorker described as offering “performances of a depth and concentration that haven’t been seen in New York for many seasons.” Weaver also originated roles in two A.R. Gurney world premieres, “Mrs. Farnsworth” (2004) at the Flea Theater and “Crazy Mary” (2007) at Playwrights Horizons. 

In television, Weaver received Emmy®, Screen Actors Guild®, and Golden Globe® nominations for her role as Mary Griffith in Lifetime’s “Prayers for Bobby,” which was also Emmy nominated for outstanding made for television movie. In 2012, she was seen in USA Network’s miniseries “Political Animals,” for which she received a SAG, Golden Globe, and Emmy nomination. Weaver also appeared in the Marvel series “The Defenders,” released globally on Netflix in August 2017.  

Weaver was very proud to receive the GLAAD Media Award for her work in “Prayers for Bobby,” as well as the Trevor Life Award in 2011. She has been the honorary chair for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund for the last 33 years. She has also served on the Board of Human Rights First for 25 years and is currently a trustee on the Board of the New York Botanical Garden. Weaver was proud to receive the National Audubon Society’s Rachel Carson Award in 2009 for her environmental work. She was also a co-founder of The Flea Theater in Lower Manhattan, which championed young artists and new work and produced multiple New York Times critics’ choice shows. 

Weaver appeared in season 4 of the French television series “Call My Agent,” which was released globally on Netflix in 2021 and won the International Emmy® for comedy series. Additionally, she starred in Philippe Falardeau’s “My Salinger Year,” which opened the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival. In April 2021, Weaver lent her voice to James Cameron’s “Secrets of the Whales,” which debuted on Disney+ and garnered an Emmy nomination for outstanding narrator. The series also won the Emmy for outstanding documentary or Nonfiction Series. In 2022, Weaver starred in Phyllis Nagy’s drama film “Call Jane,” alongside Elizabeth Banks and Maya Forbes, as well as Wallace Wolodarsky’s “The Good House,” alongside Kevin Kline. That same year she was seen in “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which was nominated for best picture at the 2023 Oscars®. In 2023, she starred in Paul Schrader’s “Master Gardener,” opposite Joel Edgerton, and Amazon Studios’ “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart,” which she also executive produced.  

Most recently, Weaver made her West End debut starring in Jamie Lloyd’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” at Theatre Royal Drury Lane and starred in “The Gorge,” with Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy. Up next, she will star in the black comedy “Dust Bunny,” alongside Mads Mikkelsen. 

Weaver is a New Yorker.