A lot happened in history on October 8th. But most of the bigger items are things I’ve already written about.
Like the advent of the microwave oven. Or Bruno Hauptmann being indicted (wrongfully) on the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh’s baby. Or the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
I could tell you about lesser things. Like the first women’s prison to be run by women opened at Indiana Reformatory Institute, in 1873. Or perhaps, the fact that on this date in 1942, the great comedy duo Abbott and Costello launched their weekly radio show. But I won’t.
Instead, I will tell you this. Today is Sigourney Weavers’ birthday. I’m not a big fan or anything, although I’ve liked some of her movies along the way. However, she fits the bill as a historical event, being born on October 8, 1949. That makes her 74 years old, I believe.
Her birth name is Susan Alexandra Weaver. She picked out the name “Sigourney” when she was about 13 years old. She had read the book The Great Gatsby and fell in love with the name of one of the characters. At one point in the novel, flapper girl Jordan Baker refers to her aunt, Mrs. Sigourney Howard. Although Mrs. Howard herself never makes an appearance in the book, the name grabbed a hold of little Sue Weaver, and she adopted it as her own. Sigourney.
She has won lots of awards during her career. But it all started big when she starred as Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott’s science fiction film Alien (1979). That movie was pretty iconic. She nailed the part of Ellen Ripley. The whole movie was pretty darn intense.
And of course, she’s been in a lot of other things, like all the Alien sequels. Ghostbusters. Working Girl. Avatar. And a boatload of other movies ranging from comedies to dramas. Broadway too.
Aside from acting, she’s a real smarty. She attended Yale alongside Meryl Streep, to get her Masters. Her BA came from Stanford. She also speaks multiple languages, including French and German.
But don’t ask her to ride an elevator. She is deathly afraid of them. Weaver has apparently been trapped alone in faulty elevators quite a few times throughout her life. So now, she has a real aversion to them. If she does have to ride one, she also checks its last inspection date.
As far as her family goes, her father worked at NBC. He was a big wig there and is credited with coming up with the “formats” for the morning shows that we all still watch today. And also for the Late Shows. And, Weaver has been married to stage director Jim Simpson since October 1, 1984. They live in Manhattan and have one child born in 1990 who is non-binary. Their name is Char, but they were born Charlotte.
Sigourney Weaver has been so good in so many wonderful movies, including The Year of Living Dangerously, Gorillas in the Mist, The Ice Storm, Ghostbusters, and on and on. But maybe my favorite movie was Dave. That’s where she plays Ellen Mitchell. The First Lady. Her president-husband has a major stroke and is in a coma. So they get this uncanny Presidential lookalike named Dave (Kevin Kline) to become a momentary stand-in. It is fun.
During certain presidencies, I have wished a “Dave” scenario would happen in real life. But no such luck. No silver screens there. So there she is. Sigourney Weaver. Happy historical birthday. To you.
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I actually think the reason I am interested in certain parts is because I was such a dweeb in high school. When you are such a loser, it’s a helpful way in to a lot of characters because even very powerful people are not all that powerful, really.
— Sigourney Weaver
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I changed my name when I was about twelve because I didn’t like being called Sue or Susie. I felt I needed a longer name because I was so tall. So what happened? Now everyone calls me Sig or Siggy.
— Sigourney Weaver
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I am a person who goes out without a purse.
— Sigourney Weaver
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