Scarlett Johansson BiographyBorn in New York City, New York, on November 24, 1984, to parents Karsten and Melanie Sloan, Scarlett, who was named after Scarlet O’Hara from
Gone With the Wind, knew that she would become an actress by the age of 3.
When she was only 7 years old, her mom took Scarlett and her siblings to an audition for a commercial, but much to Scarlett’s dismay, the agent was more interested in her twin brother than he was in her. This did not bode well with Scarlett and she would act out every time she was rejected for a commercial, which occurred often.
Scarlett at the Lee Strasberg InstituteFinally admitting to herself and her parents that she really wanted to act (not act out), Scarlett’s parents enrolled her at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute by the time she turned 8. Scarlett quickly stood out among her age group and began studying alongside the adults.
Almost immediately, Scarlett starred in an off-Broadway play entitled “Sophistry” with
Ethan Hawke. She landed her first film role, albeit a tiny one, in
Rob Reiner’s
North, in 1994.
Only a year later, at 11, Scarlett starred alongside
Sean Connery in the thriller
Just Cause. It was also in 1995 that she graduated from the Institute.
Johansson stars in Lost in Translation
By 12, the roles began pouring in for Scarlett; she received critical acclaim playing the younger sister of a pregnant runaway in
Manny & Lo. Then, at 14, Scarlett landed a role in
Robert Redford’s
The Horse Whisperer, impressing audiences worldwide by playing Grace MacLean, a girl who had her leg amputated after an unfortunate accident.
By 2001, Scarlett was incredibly busy shooting three movies:
Ghost World, The Man Who Wasn’t There and
An American Rhapsody. After making the unfortunate decision to star with
David Arquette in
Eight Legged Freaks in 2002, Scarlett made a life-altering decision when she starred as Charlotte in the Oscar award-winning film
Lost in Translation, with
Bill Murray, in 2003.
2004 saw Scarlett with a plate full of movies, including
The Perfect Score, A Good Woman and
In Good Company, the latter of which she starred with
Topher Grace and
Dennis Quaid.
Scarlett in Match Point & ScoopIn 2005, Scarlett would become
Woody Allen’s muse and would star in two of his projects, both of which would receive critical acclaim.
Match Point, in which Scarlett plays the object of a married man’s affections, shows a very sexy and erotic side to the actress. And
Scoop, in which she starred with
Hugh Jackman, shows her comedic side.
In 2006, Scarlett made some bold personal decisions; including posing nude alongside
Keira Knightley on a cover shoot for the February issue of
Vanity Fair. That same year, she opted to quit her two-year gig as the spokesperson for
Calvin Klein and signed a multi-million dollar deal to become the face of L’Oreal.
And just for being naturally beautiful, Scarlett was chosen as
Esquire magazine’s Sexiest Woman Alive in October 2006, as well as
FHM’s Sexiest Woman in the World.
But while she was making bold moves behind the scenes, Scarlett managed to star alongside her then-boyfriend
Josh Hartnett in the film
The Black Dahlia and then alongside
Christian Bale and
Hugh Jackman in
The Prestige.
Scarlett as The Other Boleyn GirlStill in her early 20s, Scarlett is far from making her mark in Hollywood; 2007 saw her starring in
The Nanny Diaries, which didn’t fare very well in theaters. Look for Scarlett in 2008 in
The Other Boleyn Girl, He’s Just Not That Into You and
Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Already booked for 2009’s
The Spirit and
Mary Queen of Scots, Scarlett shows no signs of slowing down.
On the personal front, Scarlett currently lives in New York and dating
Ryan Reynolds. Hoping to become a double threat, Scarlett is in the midst of putting together a music album.
