Alongside another cavalcade of ill-matched fellow notables, including Baroness Betty Boothroyd, King Zog I of Albania, Albert Roux, Matt Damon, Paul Hogan, Juan Perón, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bruno Mars, Chevy Chase, Bill Maynard, Robert "Kool" Bell, Frank Herbert, Ardal O'Hanlon, Johnny Ramone, Ray Reardon, Ursula von der Leyen, Anne-Marie Duff, Sadiq Khan, and - erm - the wonderfully-named Ralf Minge [ a German football player/manager, apparently]...
... it's the birthday today of the lovely Sigourney (nee Susan) Weaver! Having taken her stage name from a F. Scott Fitzgerald character in her teens, it was obvious that she was born to be a dramatic actor. She studied at New York's Yale drama school alongside Meryl Streep, and progressed onto the stage in a number of critically acclaimed (albeit uncommercial) productions. It was from this vantage point that she caught the eye of one Woody Allen, who introduced her to Hollywood and to later legendary stardom.
It is obviously for the Alien series of movies that she really became an acting legend. Indeed, "Ripley" became a rare thing in the genre of horror/sci-fi - a believable and memorable character. Ever the tenacious actress, Miss Weaver never allowed herself to be typecast, however, and went on to take leading roles in such differing movie genres as Ghostbusters, Working Girl, Half Moon Street, Avatar, Paul and of course Gorillas In The Mist, for which she was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. I particularly love her cameo as a "healer" in Jeffrey:
Sigourney Weaver's dedication to acting, to environmental campaigns and to human rights, and in particular to gay rights, is legendary. Often cited as a lesbian icon for her portrayal of strong, not simpering characters, she is in fact happily married with a child but continually stands up for the issues of gay marriage and anti-homophobia. Her ground-breaking film Prayers for Bobby set out to tackle the issues of religion and homosexuality.
And she sings!
...but, to conclude - this! [Of course.]
Many happy returns, Sigourney Weaver (born 8th October 1949)
Ripley was a great character, a strong person who happened to be a woman without resorting to the typical Hollywood tropes. She was simply a great character and actor. And I love the range of roles she chose over the years. No pinning her down as a type. Thanks for reminding me of Jeffrey!
ReplyDeleteI love her for all those same reasons, Mitchell.
DeleteAs for Jeffrey - it remains one of my all-time favourite quirky films. Patrick Stewart! Christine Baranski! Nathan Lane! Olympia Dukakis! It's superb... Jx
About 35 years ago we were staying in the Disneyland Hotel. The kiddles and I had spent the day at the park and were in bed, but it was a working vacation for the X man. He returned to the hotel and ran into (not literally) the one and only Sigourney. I was so jealous. Ms. Weaver won a Golden Globe for Gorillas In the Mist and also for Working Girl. Sadly, she remains Oscarless.
DeleteLove,
Janie
Can you imagine just casually bumping into a star like that? Even I might be tongue-tied. Jx
DeletePS I corrected the text to note she was nominated for an Oscar, rather than won it... Shame.