The American actress Scarlett Ingrid Johansson was born on November 22, 1984. Often listed on the Forbes Celebrity 100, she was the highest-paid actress in the world in both 2018 and 2019. She was listed by Time as one of the top 100 most important people in the world in 2021. Johansson is the highest-grossing movie box office star of all time because of her films’ combined global box office earnings of nearly $14.3 billion.
On November 22, 1984, Scarlett Johansson was born in New York City. She started acting at a young age, and at the age of thirteen, her performance in the film The Horse Whisperer earned her praise from critics. Her later hits include Hitchcock, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Nanny Diaries, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Lost in Translation, and the very popular The Avengers.
Scarlett Johansson: Biography, Movies & Facts Quick Facts
- Birth Name: Scarlett Ingrid Johansson
- Birth Date: November 22, 1984
- Birth Place: New York City, United States
- Gender: Female
- Career: Actress
- Most Known For: She gained notoriety for Lucy, Avengers and playing Black Widow in the Iron Man 2 movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She played the same part eight times more before becoming a worldwide celebrity with her solo movie Black Widow (2021).
Early Life
On November 22, 1984, Scarlett Ingrid Johansson was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Karsten Olaf Johansson, the father of Johansson, is a Danish architect by trade. She is descended from the Swedish art historian, screenwriter, and film director Ejner Johansson through him. Melanie Sloan, a native of New York, is her mother and a former producer.
Johansson identifies as Jewish, and she is from an Ashkenazi Jewish family that from Poland and Russia. Her last name was Schlamberg at first. She has an elder brother named Adrian, an older sister named Vanessa who is also an actor, and a twin brother named Hunter. Johansson is a dual citizen of Denmark and the United States. She also has an older half-brother named Christian from her father’s first marriage.
Johansson went to Manhattan’s Greenwich Village Elementary School, PS 41. When she was thirteen, her parents were divorced. Her maternal grandmother, Dorothy Sloan, a schoolteacher and bookkeeper, was someone she felt very close to. Johansson saw Dorothy as her closest friend, and the two of them spent a lot of time together.
From a young age, Johansson had a strong desire to work in the spotlight and would frequently perform song and dance routines for her family. She loved jazz hands and musical theatre in particular. Johansson says her parents supported her decision to pursue tap dancing as a career and that she took tap dance classes. She said that her early years were rather normal.
Early Career in ‘North,’ ‘The Horse Whisperer,’ and ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’
Johansson had many acting jobs while still in school, making her screen debut alongside Elijah Wood in the 1994 film North. Two years later, in the indie dramatic comedy Manny & Lo, she landed her first leading role. Johansson portrayed the younger sibling of a foster kid who was also pregnant. Hunter, her twin brother, also appeared in the movie.
With the 1998 film The Horse Whisperer, which also starred Robert Redford and Kristin Scott Thomas, Johansson gained critical acclaim. Many people were won over by her depiction of a young amputee, including the director and star of the movie. When discussing Johansson’s exceptional development, Redford said that she was “13 going on 30.” In 2001, the actress garnered even more favourable reviews from reviewers for her supporting performance in Ghost World, which was not very successful at the box office.
Following her graduation from Professional Children’s School (PCS) in 2002, Johansson emerged as one of the leading emerging actors in Hollywood. In 2003, she landed two leading parts that won her praise from critics. She portrayed a lady visiting Tokyo in the movie Lost in Translation, who develops an odd friendship with a much older guy (played by Bill Murray). In Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johansson also made a striking impression as a servant girl who is shown in a painting by renowned artist Johannes Vermeer (played by Colin Firth).
Following these initial triumphs, Johansson embarked on an array of undertakings. She co-directed the 2006 murder thriller The Black Dahlia with Brian De Palma, and in 2007 she attempted her hand at humour with The Nanny Diaries. Johansson has frequently worked with filmmaker Woody Allen, starring with Bardem and Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), among other projects.
Johansson quickly accepted a new challenge in her profession. She debuted on Broadway in 2009, costarring with Liev Schrieber in a production of Arthur Miller’s drama A View from the Bridge. Johansson’s excellent portrayal of Catherine, a young girl raised by her aunt and uncle, won her praise. Johansson took home a Tony Award for her efforts on the program.
Portraying Black Widow
Moving on to high-profile roles, Johansson portrayed the super spy Black Widow in Iron Man 2 (2010), costarring with Mickey Rourke and Robert Downey Jr. Her contributions to other Marvel Cinematic Universe films were made possible by this action movie, which went on to become one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters. Johansson made her next appearance in the blockbuster film The Avengers (2012) as Black Widow. Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Downey as Iron Man, and Chris Evans as Captain America were all in the movie.
For a series of Marvel blockbusters, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: The Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019), Johansson kept up her prominent role. Her participation in the franchise proved to be extremely profitable, which fueled her ascent to the top of Forbes’ list of the highest-paid actresses worldwide in the summer of 2018. Then, with Black Widow released in April 2020, Johansson starred solo.
Other Roles in Blockbusters
Johansson kept herself occupied on film while she wasn’t working for Marvel. She costarred with Matt Damon in the tragic comedy We Bought a Zoo directed by Cameron Crowe in 2011. The next year, she played real-life movie star Janet Leigh in the film Hitchcock, which chronicles filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock’s life during the creation of the horror classic Psycho.
Johansson gave her unique voice to Her in 2013, playing an intelligent operating system that makes Joaquin Phoenix’s lonely character fall in love. Later, she played as the lead in Luc Besson’s sci-fi thriller Lucy (2014) and had a supporting part in Jon Favreau’s tragic comedy Chef (2014). She reteamed with Favreau in 2016 to provide the voice of Kaa in The Jungle Book.
Johansson returned to her role as Black Widow in the MCU movies Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015 and 2016. Her pregnancy was concealed during the former’s filming through the use of close-ups, clothing that concealed it, stunt doubles, and visual effects. With more than $1.1 billion in revenue, both movies are among the highest-grossing movies ever made.
Recent Years
Johansson appeared in a Ghost in the Shell adaption in 2017. Given that Johansson played a Japanese character in the original anime, the project came under fire for having a whitewashed cast. She made a comeback to comedy in the same year, appearing in Rough Night as a member of the ensemble cast. In 2018, she provided the voice of a dog in Wes Anderson’s stop-motion film Isle of Dogs.
In July 2018, Johansson became embroiled in yet another casting controversy when Rupert Sanders, the director of Ghost in the Shell, cast her as transgender massage parlour owner Dante “Tex” Gill in Rub & Tug. Through a spokesman, Johannson first downplayed the issues, but later she admitted that her answer was “insensitive” and declared she was leaving the movie.
The actress’s next project was a co-starring role with Adam Driver in the critically acclaimed drama Marriage Story (2019). Later, she starred in another contentious film, Jojo Rabbit (2019), directed by Taika Waititi, where she played the mother of a 10-year-old child growing up in Nazi Germany who thought a silly Adolf Hitler was his imaginary best friend. Johansson became the 12th actor (male or female) to get two nods in a single year when she was nominated for both best actress and supporting actress for the former role.
Black Widow (2021)
Johansson returned to her role as Black Widow in the MCU movies Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015 and 2016. Her pregnancy was concealed during the former’s filming through the use of close-ups, clothing that concealed it, stunt doubles, and visual effects. With more than $1.1 billion in revenue, both movies are among the highest-grossing movies ever made.
Johansson sued Disney in July 2021, alleging that the film’s simultaneous release on their streaming service, Disney+, violated a contract provision requiring the movie to have an exclusive theatrical run. She claimed she was entitled to further bonuses from box office revenues, but that the release on Disney+ disqualified her from obtaining them.
Musical Career
At this point, Johansson ventured into uncharted terrain when she teamed together with Pete Yorn to produce a duets album in 2007. Johansson contributed a number of songs to the album Break Up, which was the pair’s 2009 last release of their joint work. Tom Waits cover tracks were included in Johansson’s debut album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, which was published in 2008. Both critically and commercially, the recording was a commercial failure.
Personal Life
In September 2008, Johansson wed Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds in a modest ceremony held in British Columbia. Two years later, in December 2010, the couple filed for divorce despite having bought a house in Los Angeles together. Johansson briefly had intimate ties to actor Sean Penn following her breakup with Reynolds. In March 2011, the two went to Mexico together to attend the wedding of actress Reese Witherspoon.
She announced her engagement to journalist Romain Dauriac in September 2013. Johansson and Dauriac made their baby girl Rose’s birth public on September 4, 2014. The pair was married in Philipsburg, Montana, on October 1, 2014, but their announcement wasn’t made public until December. In 2014, she gave birth to their daughter. In September 2017, Johansson divorced Dauriac after more than two years of marriage.
After dating for two years, Johansson and SNL writer and “Weekend Update” anchor Colin Jost announced their engagement in May 2019. In October 2020, the couple exchanged vows. August 2021 saw the couple welcome their first child.
