Life Around Us: Scarlett Johansson Biography & Hot Pics

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Personal Details

Name: Scarlett Johansson

Born: 22 November 1984

Where: New York City, New York, USA

Height: 5' 4"

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Synopsis

Actress and singer Scarlett Johansson is the daughter of a Danish architect and the granddaughter of a film director. Her first noted appearance was in The Horse Whisperer, followed by a major role in Lost in Translation (2003). Her first album Anywhere I Lay My Head was released in 2008, the same year she married actor Ryan Reynolds.

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Early Life

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."

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Career Breakthough

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 thrillerThe 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).

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Trivia

Received an "introducing" credit for The Horse Whisperer (1998) although it was her seventh feature film.

Has a younger twin brother, Hunter Johansson.

Attended and graduated in 2002 from Professional Children's School in Manhattan, New York City.

Grandchild of writer Ejner Johansson.

Is of Danish descent on her father's side and Ashkenazi Jewish descent on her mother's side.

Was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in June 2004.

Applied to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts for the fall 2003 semester, but was not accepted. The rejection allowed her to focus on her career, which blossomed soon after.

Shortly after Lost in Translation (2003) was released, she said she had a connection to older men and couldn't see herself dating anyone under 30. True to her word, she had a relationship with actor Benicio Del Toro, who is 17 years her senior.

Was cast as Rebecca in Thumbsucker (2005), but dropped out before filming commenced and was replaced by Kelli Garner.

Her father Karsten Johansson, a NY architect, and mother Melanie Sloan, her manager, now divorced, separated when she was 13.

Campaigned for John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential Election.

Celebrated her 20th birthday at Disneyland.

Auditioned for a role in The Parent Trap (1998), which finally went to Lindsay Lohan.

Has an older half-brother (Christian Johansson), an older sister (Vanessa Johansson, an older brother (Adrian Johansson, born 1976) and a twin brother (Hunter Johansson).

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Planned to attend Purchase University to study film.

Her older sister Vanessa Johansson is also an actress.

Prepared for her role in Lost in Translation (2003) by living on Hokkaido with then-boyfriend Faiz Ahmad.

She is three minutes older than twin brother Hunter Johansson. She says these three minutes are the most important in her life.

Had a tonsillectomy.

First role (uncredited) was in a skit during the first year of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (1993) at age 8. She relived this moment during an interview with Conan on July 12, 2005, twelve years later.

Father Karsten Johansson was born in Denmark, while her mother, Melanie Sloan, comes from a Bronx-bred family of Polish descent.

Ranked #9 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World (2005). And was also the highest ranking new entry to the list.

Named #24 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 Women of 2005 list.

Director Sofia Coppola directed both Scarlett and her boyfriend Josh Hartnett, but not in the same movie. Scarlett was in Coppola's Lost in Translation (2003) and Hartnett starred in The Virgin Suicides (1999)

She donated many items to Rocky Stone to be given to less fortunate kids as part of the Toy Mountain Campaign.

Was featured as #63 in Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100 Women of 2002" supplement. (2002).

Named #6 on Maxim magazines "Hot 100" Women list of 2006.

Chosen by FHM readers as "Sexiest Woman Alive" in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World (2006).

Has a cat named Trooper.

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Named "Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire Magazine [October, 2006].

Named #1 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).

Member of the jury at the Venice Film Festival in 2004.

Has been named the Sexiest Celebrity of 2007 by Playboy Magazine.

Is a fan of Woody Allen.

Ranked #3 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 Women of 2007 list.

Has a chihuahua named Maggie.

Was considered for the role of Susan Storm/Invisible Girl in Fantastic Four (2005).

Was offered the role of Lindsey Farris in Mission: Impossible III (2006).

Was offered the role of Evey in V for Vendetta (2005).

Was offered the role of Lois Lane in Superman Returns (2006).

Is an alumni of the Lee Strasberg Institute such as actors Frank Miranda, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Dennis Hopper, Julia Roberts.

Was ranked #12 on Forbes List of The 20 Top-Earning Young Superstars.(2007).

In 2006, she was earning $2 million per year representing L'Oreal cosmetics.

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated her earnings for the year at $5 million.

Supports Barack Obama.

Was ranked #1 on Entertainment Weekly's '30 Under 30' the actress list. (2008).

Raised money for international relief organization Oxfam by auctioning off two tickets for He's Just Not That Into You (2009) on eBay, giving the winning bidders the opportunity to mingle with her. [March 2008]

Announced her engagement to Ryan Reynolds, having been in a relationship with him since February 2007 (5 May 2008).

Ranked #2 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 Women of 2008 list.

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Was in a relationship with Josh Hartnett (December 2004-November 2006).

Married fiancé Ryan Reynolds in a quiet ceremony in Canada on September 27th, 2008.

An avid fan of Tom Waits, she recorded an album comprised entirely of Tom Waits covers, titled "Anywhere I Lay My Head". The album was released on May 16, 2008, but was not widely recognized.

Bust 36C (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine).

She says her only vice is cheese.

Replaced Brazilian Gisele Bündchen as the face of "Dolce & Gabbana" perfumes [2009].

French synth band The Teenagers wrote a song about her called "Starlett Johansson".

According to a poll of 5000 people conducted by Glamour Magazine, Johansson was voted as having the "World's Sexiest Body".

Was cast in Iron Man 2 (2010) after Emily Blunt dropped out due to other commitments.

Tested for the role of Karen in Mean Girls (2004) but lost out to Amanda Seyfried.

In February 2007, Johansson was named the "Sexiest Celebrity" of the year by Playboy.

Has another sister named Fenan. She was adopted by Johansson's mother Melanie Sloan from Ethopia in May 2010.

In 2010 she won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play after making her Broadway debut in Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge".

Johansson was named by GQ (men's magazine) as "Babe of the Year" for 2010.

Her husband, Ryan Reynolds was named as the "Sexiest Man Alive" by 'People' Magazine (2010) during the same time that Johansson was named as "Babe of the Year" by 'GQ' Magazine.

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Has been the ambassador of Moet & Chandon Champagne since 2009.

Her husband Ryan Reynolds filed for divorce in December 2010, citing irreconcilable differences.

Has appeared in advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, L'Oreal, and Louise Vuitton. In 2009, she was also the face of Dolce & Gabbana make-up.

Became the face of Spanish clothing company Mango in 2009.

Was ranked #7 on Askmen's Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2011.

Was in consideration for the role of Ryan in Gravity (2012) but Sandra Bullock was cast instead.

Was voted #14 on the 2011 Maxim list of "Hot 100" women.

In 2006, she signed an endorsement deal with cosmetics brand L'Oreal for $4,000,000.

The Looney Tunes Show created a character called Starlet Johansson in the episode Casa De Calma (June 2011), the character resembles Scarlett Johansson.

Johansson was voted as the "World's Most Natural Beauty" according to a UK poll (2011).

Voted as having the "Best Breasts" in Hollywood by In Touch Magazine (2006) and the "Best Female Bum" according to a British poll.

Voted "Hollywood's Most Natural Beauty" by a survey of make-up artists (2006).

Ranked #32 in the 100 Hot Girls list by FHM UK (2011). Previously she was ranked #23 in 2010, #13 in 2009, #6 in 2008, #5 in 2007, #3 in 2006 and #68 in 2005.

Voted as one of the "Most Beautiful" people by People magazine in 2007 and 2010.

Voted #22 in Who Magazine's "Most Beautiful People" 2010.

Voted as one of the "Twenty Most Beautiful People of the Decade" by Interview Magazine (2009).

Ranked #3 in the 2009 FHM list of "Sexiest Women in the World".

Ranked #5 in the 2008 FHM list of "Sexiest Women in the World".

Ranked #4 Sexiest Woman in the world (2011) by the Spanish version of DT magazine.

Italian artist Francesco Clemente included a portrait of Scarlett in his deck of 78 custom-painted tarot cards, with her portrayed as the Queen of Swords.

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Often ranked as having one of the "Most Beautiful Famous Faces" by "The Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Famous Faces From Around the World." She was ranked #42 in 2010, #71 in 2009, #72 in 2008, #34 in 2007, #43 in 2006, #39 in 2005, #37 in 2004, #45 in 2003, and #48 in 2002.

Was in consideration for the role of Maggie in Lawless (2012), but Jessica Chastain was cast instead.

Auditioned for the role of "Lisbeth Salander" in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), however, she didn't get the role because she was considered too attractive for it. Rooney Mara was cast instead.

Featured in "The Beauty Book for Brain Cancer", a 312-page coffee-table book by photographer Darren Tieste. The book features photos of celebrities, musicians and models who donated their time to bring attention to brain cancer. Scarlett Johansson was also chosen to be on the cover of the book (2011).

In 2008 a UK-based bidder paid £20,000 British pounds on an eBay auction to benefit Oxfam, winning a pair of tickets to accompany Johansson on a 20-minute date to the world premiere of the film He's Just Not That Into You.

Has been an ambassador for Oxfam International since 2005.

Ranked #12 in Men's Health 100 Hottest Women of All Time (2011).

Voted #7 on Ask men's top 99 'most desirable' women of 2012.

Received the 2,470th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 2, 2012. At the ceremony were her mother Melanie Sloan, grandmother, sister Vanessa Johansson and her The Avengers (2012)'s co-star, Jeremy Renner.

Johansson plays Marvel comic book character Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff in the films 'Iron Man 2 (2010)' and 'The Avengers (2012)'.

Her favorite action film is Heat (1995).