The daughter of NBC president Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, Sigourney Weaver enjoyed an eastern establishment childhood capped off by degrees from Stanford and Yale. Borrowing a more interesting first name from a character in The Great Gatsby, Sigourney Weaver proved her dramatic talent in a variety of off-Broadway plays before piloting her space ship to glory in Alien. As Ripley, the strong heroine of this superb 1979 sci-fi thriller, she had the good luck and matching talent to be associated with a landmark role.

And as the hit comedies Ghostbusters and Working Girl proved, she had the right light touch for comedy, as well. Repeating the Ripley character in two sequels and snagging other strong, smart, leading roles--including her acclaimed portrayal of Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist--Weaver became one of the most in-demand actresses in Hollywood.

She has been less visible recently, though many think her performance in Roman Polanski's 1994 film version of Death and the Maiden didn't get the recognition it deserved. She will reprise her role as Ripley in Alien IV, which is quite a feat, considering she was killed off in Alien 3.