No. 9: Sigourney Weaver — Top Action Movie Stars

It is kind of unfortunate how few hardcore female action heroes we’ve been given by the Hollywood machine. I’d like to see this change here in the 21st century. And while we’ve seen more female-starring action flicks recently, no single star has emerged as the face of tough girl cinema like Sigourney Weaver has. Sure, her career is impressively varied with comedies, dramas and more, but Ellen Ripley remains her most iconic role, and what a role.

Weaver’s Ripley is a great character, period. Her femininity adds a lot to the depth of the ‘Alien’ stories, which have so much to do with conception and birth. But ultimately, that stuff is subtext. Ripley kicks crazy amounts of ass and we love her for it. Weaver has also starred as an important action-oriented character in the highest grossing film of all time! Weaver’s Dr. Grace Augustine in ‘Avatar’ added some much needed gravitas to a fairly young and untested cast, and provided a ton of spark and vibrance to that computer-generated reality.

"Get away from her, you bitch!" -– Ellen Ripley, ‘Aliens’