Biography
Born in New York City, on November 22, 1984, Scarlett Johansson is the youngest of four siblings -- she has an older brother and sister, as well as a twin brother. As might be expected of an acting prodigy, Scarlett had an unusually early interest in performing: She wanted to be an actress since age 3, and was acting professionally when she was only 8 years old. After taking classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute for Young People, Scarlett Johansson made her stage debut in the early 1990s in the off-Broadway production of Sophistry, alongside Ethan Hawke.
Scarlett Johansson's first film role came in 1994's North, starring Elijah Wood, another child star survivor. The following year she played Sean Connery's daughter in the thriller Just Cause, and then in 1996 she appeared in If Lucy Fell and Manny & Lo. For the latter film, Scarlett Johansson was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress in 1997. That year she added Fall and Home Alone 3 to her burgeoning list of credits as well.
Born in New York City, on November 22, 1984, Scarlett Johansson is the youngest of four siblings -- she has an older brother and sister, as well as a twin brother. As might be expected of an acting prodigy, Scarlett had an unusually early interest in performing: She wanted to be an actress since age 3, and was acting professionally when she was only 8 years old. After taking classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute for Young People, Scarlett Johansson made her stage debut in the early 1990s in the off-Broadway production of Sophistry, alongside Ethan Hawke.
Scarlett Johansson's first film role came in 1994's North, starring Elijah Wood, another child star survivor. The following year she played Sean Connery's daughter in the thriller Just Cause, and then in 1996 she appeared in If Lucy Fell and Manny & Lo. For the latter film, Scarlett Johansson was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress in 1997. That year she added Fall and Home Alone 3 to her burgeoning list of credits as well.
Why Is She Famous?
After her role in Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer (1998), then-teenager Scarlett Johansson landed one plum part after another in movies like Lost in Translation (2003), Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), The Perfect Score (2004), Match Point (2005), The Prestige (2006), The Nanny Diaries (2007), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008, The Spirit (2008) and He's Just Not That Into You (2009). Up next, Scarlett Johansson is set to star in the Jon Favreau-directed Iron Man 2 (2010), opposite industry heavyweights like Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Robert Downey Jr., and Samuel L. Jackson.
Success
A thoroughly urban young woman, Scarlett Johansson knew she wanted to be an actress at age 3, and she made that wish a reality only five years later. After an off-Broadway debut and several film roles, Scarlett went on to win a Hollywood Reporter YoungStar Award for her work in The Horse Whisperer.
More recently, the ever-confident and uniquely gifted Scarlett Johansson has been named Breakthrough Actress at the 2003 Hollywood Film Festival's Hollywood Awards and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Lost in Translation) at the 2004 BAFTA Awards. She was also nominated for two Best Actress Golden Globes for Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring.
In 2005, she appeared in Match Point, followed by The Prestige in 2006. In 2007 she won more recognition with her role in The Nanny Diaries, while 2008 was another promising year for the starlet (read: Scarlett) with parts in the movies The Other Boleyn Girl, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and The Spirit.
More recently, the ever-confident and uniquely gifted Scarlett Johansson has been named Breakthrough Actress at the 2003 Hollywood Film Festival's Hollywood Awards and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Lost in Translation) at the 2004 BAFTA Awards. She was also nominated for two Best Actress Golden Globes for Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring.
In 2005, she appeared in Match Point, followed by The Prestige in 2006. In 2007 she won more recognition with her role in The Nanny Diaries, while 2008 was another promising year for the starlet (read: Scarlett) with parts in the movies The Other Boleyn Girl, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and The Spirit.
Sexiness
Anyone who has seen Lost in Translation will never forget the opening scene featuring Scarlett Johansson's bottom in semi-transparent underwear. Since then, Scarlett Johansson has become one of the biggest sex symbols in Hollywood. In 2006, she was named "The Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire magazine. The accompanying cover shoot, shot by photographer Sheryl Nields, is still worth checking out regularly online, if you don't still own a copy of the issue.
An extra part of Scarlett Johansson's allure is her uniquely throaty voice, which entices us. The actress herself has said, "I'm so tired of hearing casting directors ask if I have a sore throat. The people who have told me that my voice is distinctive... those people have always been close to my heart." Are you taking notes? If you can't get enough of her voice, Scarlett Johansson has also recorded an album, Anywhere I Lay My Head (2008), made up of Tom Waits covers.
Scarlett Johansson also ranked No. 2 on AskMen's Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2007
Anyone who has seen Lost in Translation will never forget the opening scene featuring Scarlett Johansson's bottom in semi-transparent underwear. Since then, Scarlett Johansson has become one of the biggest sex symbols in Hollywood. In 2006, she was named "The Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire magazine. The accompanying cover shoot, shot by photographer Sheryl Nields, is still worth checking out regularly online, if you don't still own a copy of the issue.
An extra part of Scarlett Johansson's allure is her uniquely throaty voice, which entices us. The actress herself has said, "I'm so tired of hearing casting directors ask if I have a sore throat. The people who have told me that my voice is distinctive... those people have always been close to my heart." Are you taking notes? If you can't get enough of her voice, Scarlett Johansson has also recorded an album, Anywhere I Lay My Head (2008), made up of Tom Waits covers.
Scarlett Johansson also ranked No. 2 on AskMen's Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2007
Quotes
"Being a movie star is a quality that somebody sort of embodies, and being a celebrity is something that people recognize in you. I just hope to make good movies."
- Scarlett Johansson
"Being a movie star is a quality that somebody sort of embodies, and being a celebrity is something that people recognize in you. I just hope to make good movies."
- Scarlett Johansson
