The Xenomorph is one of the most iconic monsters in movie history, and here is every actor who has played one in the Alien movies. The Alien franchise has become one of the most well-known horror series of all time, with each entry in Ridley Scott’s beloved horror franchise bringing back the Xenomorph for more extraterrestrial carnage. There have been all kinds of different types of Xenomorph throughout the mainline Alien movies, and since they are often covered in special effects, the actors behind these fascinating creatures are rarely given the credit that they deserve.

From the original Alien in 1979 to 2024’s latest entry Alien: Romulus, all kinds of different methods have been used to bring the Xenomorph to life. Puppetry, costumes, CGI, voice acting, and more are all strategies that have been employed to create the iconic Alien monster, with the Xenomorph requiring a massive team of puppeteers, actors, and special effects artists. While all kinds of actors have worked on various Alien spinoff projects, these actors are the ones who played the Xenomorph in the Alien movies.

11 Bolaji Badejo

Alien

When it comes to Xenomorph actors in the Alien franchise, the most well-known one by far is Bolaji Badejo. While working on the original Alien, casting director Peter Archer struggled to find an actor tall and thin enough to play the Xenomorph, with this being one of the big struggles of the film’s pre-production. However, Archer eventually discovered Badejo at a student bar, with him eventually tracking him down and asking him to play the first incarnation of the Xenomorph.

Most of the Xenomorph’s appearances in 1979’s Alien were Badejo in a costume, with the 6 feet 10 inches tall actor perfectly bringing the creature to life. Alien was Badejo’s sole acting credit, and although he was offered a role in Aliens, he didn’t reprise his Xenomorph part due to him having moved back to Nigeria in 1980. Although Badejo played the Xenomorph only once, he had a massive role in defining the creature and its physicality.

10 Andrew Crawford

Alien: Covenant

The Alien franchise brought on a lot of various types of talent in order to bring the Xenomorph to life, with 2017’s Alien: Covenant using Australian dancer Andrew Crawford. Crawford portrayed the Neomorph in the Prometheus sequel, the pale proto-Xenomorph that was created by David during his years of isolation. The terrifying Neomorph clearly shares a bond with David, although the violence of the humans brings out the Neomorph’s own violence.

When compared to previous incarnations of the Xenomorph, the Neomorph is a lot quicker and more graceful, darting around the room at high speeds. Because of this, it makes sense to bring on a dancer like Crawford when doing the motion capture for this creature, allowing for a much more nimble Alien antagonist.

9 Percy Edwards

Alien

Percy Edwards is an interesting addition to the Xenomorph’s history, as he is the one who gave the terrifying Alien monsters their voice. Edwards was a ornithologist who also excelled as a voice actor, with him doing impressions of animals. Edwards lent his talents to several movies and TV shows throughout the 1970s, and while these were mostly pre-existing animals, 1979’s Alien gave him the unique challenge of coming up with a voice for a new creature.

Despite his role being uncredited, Edwards’ performance in the original Alien is one of the most important in the franchise. As the first voice of the Xenomorph, Edwards’ defined what the creature would sound like for decades to come, with recent additions like Alien: Covenant still using the original film’s Xenomorph as a starting point.

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8 Archie Hahn

Alien: Resurrection

Archie Hahn is a well-known actor who has appeared in many popular films and TV shows, such as This Is Spinal Tap, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach. However, he is most well-known for his appearances on the improv comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway?, on which he frequently appeared.

However, the Alien franchise didn’t bring Hahn on for his comedic or live-action acting talents, with him instead lending his voice to the film Alien: Resurrection. Alongside musician Joan La Barbara, Hahn provided the voice of the Newborn, the human-Xenomorph hybrid that appears at the end of the film. Hahn’s role as the Newborn is unique in his filmography, and while it is one of the most significant characters that he has played, he is rarely mentioned when discussing the legacy of the Alien franchise.

7 Goran D. Kleut

Alien: Covenant

Goran D. Kleut is an Australian actor who has appeared in all kinds of major franchise films, such as Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Kleut also appears in the Alien franchise as part of the sixth mainline entry and the second film in the Alien prequel series, Alien: Covenant.

In Alien: Covenant, Kleut portrays two types of Xenomorph. The first of these is the Neomorph, the pale creation of David that is also portrayed by dancer Andrew Crawford. Kleut also portrays the Praetomorph, the engineered alien that would go on to be the ancestor of the more well-known Xenomorph species. The Praetomorph can be seen near the end of Alien: Covenant, with it attacking the ship as it attempts to leave the planet’s surface and return to the Covenant​​​​​​.

6 Joan La Barbara

Alien: Resurrection

Joan La Barbara is a musician and voice actor who is most known for her unique style of music, with many of her fans not knowing that she actually played the Xenomorph. Due to her unique sound and impressive vocal range, Joan La Barbara was brought on to Alien: Resurrection in order to help bring the Xenomorph to life.

In Alien: Resurrection, Joan La Barbara is the voice of the Newborn, the terrifying human-Xenomorph hybrid at the end of the film. Alien: Resurrection was the vocalist’s first film role, but she did an incredible job as the Newborn, bringing a unique sound to the creature that allows for it to be more sympathetic and human than the other types of Xenomorph.

5 Eddie Powell

Alien & Aliens

Eddie Powell is a stunt performer who appeared as the Xenomorph early in the Alien franchise, with him pulling off the rare feat of portraying the creature in more than one movie. Powell first played the Xenomorph in 1979’s Alien, with him being uncredited for his role in the scene in which Brett and Dallas are attacked by the Xenomorph.

Powell returned for a bigger role in the sequel film Aliens, in which he played a new type of Xenomorph: the Alien Warrior. These Xenomorph Drones are seen frequently throughout Aliens, with their massive numbers making life much harder for Ripley and her gang of space marines. Powell played several of these Xenomorph in Aliens, although it isn’t known exactly which ones he was.

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4 David Prior

Alien: Resurrection

David Prior is another actor who helped bring the Xenomorph to life, with him being one of the several actors who worked on the creature in Alien: Resurrection. Very little is known about Prior’s work on the film due to his role being uncredited, with not much having been said about his time in Alien: Resurrection. However, it is known that he played the Xenomorph in the movie, while many other Xenomorph scenes were created using puppetry or CGI.

3 Roy Scammell

Alien

Roy Scammell is a stunt performer and actor who has worked on several major films, such as A Clockwork Orange, GoldenEye, and 1979’s Alien. Scammell acted as a stunt coordinator on the first Alien film, although he did end up portraying the Xenomorph in certain scenes.

Scammell appears in costume as the Xenomorph in the alien’s final appearance, in which it is sucked out of the airlock. It is unknown why Scammell portrayed the Xenomorph in this scene instead of the other Xenomorph actors, although it could be because the airlock stunt was more dangerous than the other moments in the film. However, this means that Scammell was the face behind the Xenomorph mask in one of the creature’s most iconic scenes.

2 Carl Toop

Aliens

Carl Toop is another interesting addition to the Alien franchise, as his role playing the Xenomorph in Aliens was his only acting credit. Alongside Eddie Powell, Toop portrayed the Alien Warriors in the Alien sequel, with him helping to bring the Xenomorph Drones to life. Toop was always in the Xenomorph costume, using his body to create the terrifying physicality seen in the Xenomorph throughout the film.

1 Tom Woodruff, Jr.

Alien & Alien: Resurrection

Tom Woodruff, Jr. is another actor who has played the Xenomorph, with him joining the small club of individuals who has played the alien in more than one film. Woodruff is a special effects artist who was brought onto Alien 3 after the original Alien‘s special effects artist couldn’t return, with him and his team being behind many of the tricks used to bring the creature to life.

However, Tom Woodruff, Jr. also got in costume as the Xenomorph in Alien 3, making him the main actor behind the mast in the film. Woodruff even continued to play the Xenomorph in future films, with him being the Lead Alien in Alien: Resurrection. Woodruff also reappeared as Grid in the spinoff Alien vs. Predator series, with him being one of the Alien actors who has played the Xenomorph the most.

Alien (1979)

Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, is a science fiction horror film that follows the crew of the commercial spacecraft Nostromo. Upon investigating a distress signal on a distant moon, they discover a deadly extraterrestrial lifeform. The film stars Sigourney Weaver as Ripley and became a seminal work in both the sci-fi and horror genres, known for its atmospheric tension and groundbreaking visual effects.

Release Date

June 22, 1979

Writers

Dan O’Bannon , Ronald Shusett

Character(s)

Ripley , Dallas , Kane , Lambert , Brett , Ash , Parker , Alien

Runtime

117 Minutes

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

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