Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley: 5 Quotes About Iconic Role

When Sigourney Weaver burst onto the big screen with her first leading role in "Alien" in 1979, she quickly established herself as one of the most iconic action heroes — male or female — of all time.

The only surviving crew member of the spaceship Nostromo, Ripley made three more big screen appearances – in "Aliens" (1986) "Alien 3" (1992), and "Alien: Resurrection" (1997) – and is poised to return once again in "District 9" director Neill Blomkamps' "Alien" series reboot in 2016. Believe it or not, Ripley is here to stay.

Here are five quotes about Weaver in the iconic role:

1. Citing her work on all four "Alien" films, Empire online names Ripley No. 9 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Movie Roles." Discussing the highest-ranking female role on the list, Empire says, "It's a dream role for Weaver, who handles both Ripley's softer side and kick-ass demeanor with considerable aplomb."

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2. Reflecting on the 30th anniversary of "Alien" in 2009, Xan Brooks for the United Kingdom's The Guardian wrote of Weaver's characterization of Ripley:

"Originally conceived as a male character, Ripley would go on to form the heart and soul of the 'Alien' pictures. As played by Weaver (then 29 and a relative unknown), she initially seems set up to play the conventional role of the sexy scream queen. But, after a while, we realize that not only is she not screaming, she also appears to have no romantic interest whatsoever. Instead, she furrows her brow and tackles tasks with a steely determination."

3. Praising the actress in his review of "Aliens" for People magazine in 1986, Peter Travers said, "Weaver comes through with a spirited, knockout performance that dominates the film. Her final duel with the alien queen would shame Rambo."

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4. Walter Goodman also noted how Ripley outguns Rambo in his review of "Aliens" in The New York Times in 1986:

"Miss Weaver's name in both movies is Ripley, and believe it or not, this smart good looker is a one-woman army. There is something inherently parodic about Warrant Officer Ripley, in a T-shirt, blasting away with a flame-spouting, grenade-launching weapon capable of wiping out a small zoo; it's a Rambo joke. But Miss Weaver does the job without cracking a smile."

5. Reviewing "Aliens" in 1986, Roger Ebert wrote how essential Weaver is to the character of Ripley and the entirety of the film: "Weaver, who is on screen almost all the time, comes through with a very strong, sympathetic performance: She's the thread that holds everything together."

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