The Original Action Heroine (Happy Birthday Sigourney Weaver!)

 Born on October 8th, 1949 in New York City, Sigourney Weaver is a seven time Golden Globe nominee, a two time winner, and has a pair of Oscar nominations along with a Tony nomination. She was nominated for films like "Gorillas In The Mist" and "Working Girl" and has appeared in the box office juggernaut "Avatar."

But for many of us that grew up in The '80's she is the star of the science fiction horror classic "Alien" (and the blockbuster sequels, including James Cameron's "Aliens") and the Ghostbusters franchise.

As a kid, I was obsessed with Ghostbusters, and I knew her from those two films that starred the classic lineup of Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis, and Annie Potts. I saw the films, watched the cartoon show religiously, had the toys, and pretended to be a Ghostbuster with my friends. They have since tried to revive the franchise, and are still trying to do so. But those two films were a big part of my childhood and she holds a special place for me because of it.

"Alien," as I got older, also became an important franchise for me and she rightly deserves credit for paving the way for young action heroines in Hollywood. She will go down in history as a pioneer for strong women in film, and she's still going strong.

I also have to give credit to the space spoof "Galaxy Quest," which is now appreciated as a comedic gem and her villainous turn in Marvel's "The Defenders" for Netflix. Just putting those two characters together shows her impressive range as an actress.

So happy birthday Sigourney Weaver! You are an inspiration to many and will continue to be years to come...