Scarlett Johansson Biography
Actress and singer. Born on November 22, 1984, in New York City. Her family has a long history of participating in the arts; her Danish grandfather worked as a screenwriter and director, and her mother as a producer.
Johansson's interest in acting surfaced at an early age. At the age of 8, she appeared in an off-Broadway production of Sophistry with Ethan Hawke. Johansson continued to seek out roles, and decided to study at Manhattan's Professional Children's School (PCS), a private educational institution known for such famous acting alumni as Carrie Fisher, Rita Moreno and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Musical theater was one of Johansson's passions, which she pursued at PCS. "I was one of those jazz-hands kids," she told Vogue.
During her school years, Johansson landed some acting roles, including her film debut in 1994's North with Elijah Wood. Her first leading part came two years later with Manny & Lo, an independent dramatic comedy. Johansson played the younger sister of a pregnant teenager, both of whom were in foster care. Johansson's twin brother, Hunter, also made an appearance in the film. Johansson attracted even more critical attention with 1998's The Horse Whisperer starring Robert Redford and Kristin Scott Thomas. Her portrayal of a young amputee won over many fans, including the film's star and director, Redford. Redford commented on Johansson's remarkable maturity, saying that she was "13 going on 30."
After graduating PCS in 2002, Johansson soon found herself as one of Hollywood's top up-and-coming actresses. She had two starring roles in 2003, both of which garnered her critical accolades. In Lost in Translation, she played a woman visiting Tokyo who forms an unlikely relationship with a much older man (played by Bill Murray). Johansson also gave an impressive performance as a servant girl who is painted by famed artist Johannes Vermeer (played by Colin Firth) in Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Johansson took on a variety of projects after these early successes. She worked with director Brian De Palma on the 2006 crime thriller The Black Dahlia, and tried her hand at comedy with 2007's The Nanny Diaries. A frequent collaborator with director Woody Allen, Johansson has appeared in several of his films, including 2008's Vicky Cristina Barcelona. She played an American girl on vacation in Spain with a friend. The pair become involved with an artist (Javier Bardem) and his ex-wife (Penelope Cruz).
Around this time, Johansson branched out into new territory when she joined forces with Pete Yorn for an album of duets, which were recorded in 2007. The pair finally released their collaborative efforts in 2009 with the album Break Up, and Johansson wrote several tracks for the recording. "I've been singing for my whole life. When I was a kid I wanted to be on Broadway," she told New York magazine. In 2008, Johansson released her first album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, which featured cover versions of songs by Tom Waits. The recording proved to be a critical and commercial disappointment. She had better success in her personal life, marrying fellow actor Ryan Reynolds that September. The couple wed in a quiet ceremony held at a wilderness retreat near Vancouver, Canada.

Scarlett Johansson