Scarlett Johansson Biography
She made her name in independent films before Lost In Translation propelled her onto Hollywood's A-list. The Island dented her stellar reputation but this starlet is sure to fight back.
Scarlett has a twin brother, Hunter, born to father Karsten, a New York architect, and mother, Melanie (now Scarlett's manager). They have an older half-brother, Christian, an older sister, Vanessa, and an older brother, Adrian.
Their father was born in Denmark and their mother is from Polish stock, who emigrated to the Bronx. Karsten and Melanie separated when the twins were 13-years old, and are now divorced.
Johansson's parents were very open about allowing her to pursue her interests. She apparently told her mother at the tender age of three, "I have a fire in my brain to act". Her early desire to be in musicals, led to her attending tap dance classes and she auditioned for a few advertisements. She enjoyed a normal family life and attended regular school in New York.
She was only seven-years-old when she became seriously aspiring and her acting career was launched in the off-Broadway production on 'Sophistry' (1992), with Ethan Hawke.
At age eight, Johansson had an uncredited role in a skit on television show 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' (1993), during its first year on air.
Her film debut came at age nine, when she played the role of Laura Nelson in comedy drama 'North' (1994), about an attention-deprived boy, North, who files a lawsuit against his parents and sets off around the world to find replacements who really care about him.
Following that, Johansson appeared as Kate Armstrong in 'Just Cause' (1995), Harvard law professor Paul Armstrong's (Sean Connery) daughter. Also in the cast were Lawrence Fishburne and Blair Underwood.
In the comedy, 'If Lucy Fell' (1996), she had the role of Emily, co-starring with the likes of Ben Stiller, Sarah Jessica Parker and Elle Macpherson. By age 11, Johansson had been nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her role as Amanda, in the drama about two runaway sisters, 'Manny & Lo' (1996).
Her next two films would only bring her small roles, with her two-word contribution in 'Fall' (1997), and the unremarkable part of middle child, Molly, in 'Home Alone 3' (1998).
Her next big role saw Johansson playing 14-year-old Grace MacLean in 'The Horse Whisperer' (1998), based on the hugely successful novel by Nicholas Evans. Robert Redford both directed and starred in the film, as well as Tom Booker, with Kristin Scott Thomas and Sam Neill. Johansson received a Hollywood Reporter Young Star award for this role.
In 1998, she auditioned for a role in 'The Parent Trap' but it went to Lindsay Lohan instead.
She had the starring role, as Kathy, in the comedy 'My Brother the Pig' (1999), a children's film about a boy who is turned into a pig, and his sister who tries to help get him changed back before their parents return from holiday.
Then came 'Ghost World' (2001), a screen adaptation of the Daniel Clowes comic about the adventures of two teenage girls dealing with life after school. Johansson played 18-year-old Rebecca, whilst herself only 15, in a sensitive portrayal of teenage angst, growing up and friendships.
Johansson starred as Rachel 'Birdy' Abundas, with Billy Bob Thornton, in 'The Man Who Wasn't There' (2001), a black and white film about passion, crime and punishment.
In 'An American Rhapsody' (2001), with Nastassja Kinski, she is a young girl who escapes communist Hungary in the 1950s and travels to America. It was a demanding role, based on true events, and another opportunity to prove her talent as a serious actor.
After all this seriousness, Johansson appeared as Ashley Parker in the rather camp remake of 1950s B-movies about giant spiders, 'Eight Legged Freaks' (2002).
Johansson had always attended the Professional Children's School, in Manhattan, New York, and she graduated in 2002, announcing her intention to study Film at Purchase University, New York, starting in September 2003. She applied but unfortunately, was not accepted.
She then decided to put all her energy into her career, which soon paid off.
Sofia Coppola's 'Lost in Translation' (2003), set in Tokyo, came along and Johansson gave a touching performance as Charlotte, a young newlywed, who strikes up a relationship with a jaded movie star, Bob Harris (Bill Murray), while staying in Japan. For this, she won the Upstream Prize for Best Actress, and was only 17 when the film was shot.
Her dramatic skills amply displayed, she next worked on 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' (2003), playing Griet in this intriguing, highly seductive story behind one of Vermeer's greatest paintings.
In June 2004, Johansson was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). She appeared as Francesca Curtis in the teenage comedy/crime 'The Perfect Score' (2004). This was followed by her role as Parsy Will, with John Travolta, in 'A Love Song for Bobby Long' (2004).
Also released that year was 'A Good Woman' (2004), in which Johansson played Lady Windermere in this screen adaptation of Oscar Wilde's play 'Lady Windermere's Fan'.
She was the voice of Mindy in 'The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie' (2004), where she worked with David Hasselhoff, one of her childhood heartthrobs. 'In Good Company' (2004) brought her the role of Alex Foreman, the type of woman Johansson says she would be if she had not chosen to be act: "…very cool, very relaxed, and very honest".
The futuristic 'The Island’ (2005), set in the mid 21st-century, saw Johansson playing Jordan Two-Delta, with Ewan McGregor and Steve Buscemi. She and McGregor reportedly found the rigours of all the running and action of the movie agonising and discovered muscles they had forgotten about.
Johansson was directed by Woody Allen for her role of Nola Rice in 'Match Point' (2005), shot entirely in England, and also starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. Also that year was 'The Black Dahlia' (2005), directed by Brian De Palma, an adaptation of the James Ellroy novel about a 1947 Hollywood murder. In it, Johansson starred as Kay Lake, with Hilary Swank and Josh Hartnett.
She followed this with a role in 'The Prestige' with Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman in 2006. The following year, Johansson only appeared in one film 'The Nanny Diaries' as she focused on her musical career.
In mid-2007, she spent time recording a music album consisting of one original song and ten covers of Tom Waits' songs. It also featured contributions from David Bowie, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Celebration. Her album 'Anywhere I Lay My Head' was released to mixed reviews on 20 May 2008.
She returned to acting in 2008, playing Mary Boleyn in the adaptation of Phillipa Gregory's novel 'The Other Boleyn Girl', followed by 'Vicky Christina Barcelona' and 'The Spirit'.
In 2009, Johansson appeared in 'He's Just Not That Into You', before making her debut as the Black Widow in 'Iron Man 2' in 2010. She will be reprising this role in the 2012 film 'Avengers Assemble' and possibly in 'Iron Man 3', which is set for release in 2013.
Johansson will also be starring in 'Under the Skin' in 2012 and has been singled out for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Next year, she will play Janet Leigh in 'Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho' and will also act in 'Don Jon's Addiction' and 'Can A Song Save Your Life?'.
Johansson has proved her natural acting ability time and again and she is recognised as one of the most promising young Hollywood actors. She is not in it for the money, but rather to build a career. This is, and always has been, her life's passion. There is no doubt that she will continue to select extraordinary roles and continue to play them with sensitivity and depth.
A multi-million dollar deal with L'Oreal was confirmed on 5 January 2006. Johansson was the face of the new colour line 'HIP High Intensity Pigments'. The deal is reportedly worth $3million, with the company hoping to generate a further $50million in sales in the first year.
Johansson is known for being extremely private about her love life but it is known that she started dating Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds in 2007, with the couple becoming engaged on 5 May 2008. They married in a quiet ceremony on 27 September 2008 and bought a home together in California.
On 14 December 2010, they announced they had separated citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalised on 1 July 2011.
She currently divides her personal time between New York, where she sees her father and her twin brother, Hunter, and Los Angeles, where her mother lives. In fact, Johansson bought an apartment in the same block as her mother, who besides being her business manager, provides her with love,
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
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