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American actress Sigourney Weaver first began acting in plays in the early 1970s. Throughout her career, she has acted in 37 stage productions. She made her film debut with a minor role in the Woody Allen–directed Annie Hall (1977). Her breakthrough role was as Ellen Ripley in the Ridley Scott–directed Alien (1979). She reprised the role in Aliens (1986), this time helmed by director James Cameron. Her performance netted her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She would reprise the role in two more sequels: Alien 3 (1992) and Alien Resurrection (1997), both of which were not as well received. Although originally written as a man, Ripley is now regarded as one of the most significant female protagonists in cinema history, and consequently, Weaver is considered to be a pioneer of action heroines in science-fiction films. (Full list...)