American actress and singer Scarlett Johansson turns 25 today. Born November 22, 1984 Johansson made her film debut in the 1994 film North and was subsequently nominated for the 'Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female' for her performance in 1996's Manny & Lo.
American actress and singer Scarlett Johansson has turned 25. Born on November 22, 1984 Johansson made her film debut in the 1994 film North and was subsequently nominated for the 'Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female' for her performance in 1996's Manny & Lo. This multi-talented star made the transition to adult roles with her critically acclaimed performance in Sofia Coppola's film Lost in Translation opposite Bill Murray, and has also made a name for herself as a vocalist with her first music album, Anywhere I Lay My Head. (Text: Wikipedia, Photo Courtesy: Esquire)
Johansson's father, Karsten Johansson, is a Danish-born architect, and her paternal grandfather, Ejner Johansson, was a screenwriter and director. Her mother, Melanie Sloan, a producer, comes from an Ashkenazi Jewish family from the Bronx. Johansson has an older sister, Vanessa, who is an actress; an older brother, Adrian; a twin brother, Hunter (whose only film, Manny & Lo, starred Scarlett); and a half-brother, Christian, from her father's re-marriage. Johansson grew up in a household with "little money", with a mother who was a "film buff". (Text: Wikipedia)
Johansson began acting during childhood, after her mother began taking her to auditions. She made her film debut at age nine as John Ritter's daughter in the 1994 fantasy comedy North. Following minor roles in the 1995 film Just Cause, as the daughter of Sean Connery and Kate Capshaw, and If Lucy Fell in 1996, she landed the role of Amanda in the Lisa Krueger-helmed film Manny & Lo. Her performance garnered a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female, and positive reviews.(Text: Wikipedia)
After appearing in minor roles in Fall in 1997 and Home Alone 3, Johansson garnered widespread attention for her performance in the 1998 film The Horse Whisperer, directed by Robert Redford. She received a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Newcomer for the film. In 1999, she appeared in both My Brother the Pig and the neo-noir Coen brothers film The Man Who Wasn't There, as well as a very brief appearance in the Mandy Moore video for her single Candy. Although the film was not a box office success, she received praise for her breakout role in the critically acclaimed 2001 film, Ghost World. Credited with "sensitivity and talent [that] belie her age", Johansson went on to win the Chlotrudis and Toronto Film Critics Association Awards for Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for the Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress. (Text: Wikipedia)
Johansson marked her transition to adult roles in a pair of 2003 films. In the much heralded Sofia Coppola film Lost in Translation, she played the abandoned young wife Charlotte opposite Bill Murray. In praising the work of Johansson and Murray, film critic Roger Ebert described the film as "sweet and sad at the same time as it is sardonic and funny". Johansson won the BAFTA Award and the Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for the role. She received nominations from a number of film critic organizations, incluing the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Phoenix Film Critics Society and the Chlotrudis Awards. (Text: Wikipedia)
Johansson found equal praise for her role as Griet in Peter Webber's Girl with a Pearl Earring. Noting that "audiences feel as if they are spying on a moment of artistic inspiration when painter Vermeer creates the title work", 'USA Today' praised her, suggesting that she "is having a banner year that Oscar voters should recognize." The Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts agreed, nominating her for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She was also nominated by the London Film Critics' Circle, the Phoenix Film Critics Society and the British Independent Film Awards for Best Actress.(Text: Wikipedia, Photo Courtesy: D&G)
Johansson was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in June 2004. In the same year, she voiced a role in The Spongebob Squarepants Movie and appeared in an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan titled A Good Woman, opposite Helen Hunt and Tom Wilkinson. A Good Woman was both a box office and a critical failure. (Text: Wikipedia, Photo Courtesy: Elle)
She also appeared in the critically panned teen heist film The Perfect Score and in a supporting role opposite Topher Grace and Dennis Quaid in the better received In Good Company. Her performance in the dark Southern drama, A Love Song for Bobby Long, earned her a third Golden Globe for Best Actress nomination. Johansson was involved for a short time with the film Mission: Impossible III, but was not officially cast because of scheduling conflicts, although a falling out with the film's star, Tom Cruise, had been both widely reported and publicly denied. (Text: Wikipedia)
In July 2005, Johansson starred with Ewan McGregor in Michael Bay's science fiction film, The Island, in dual roles as Sarah Jordan and her clone, Jordan Two Delta. The film was a domestic box office bomb and received mixed critical reviews. In contrast, her role as Nola, the American actress with whom Chris (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) is obsessed, in the Woody Allen-directed drama Match Point was well-received. Johansson received her fourth Golden Globe nomination, and one from the Chicago Film Critics Association, for Best Supporting Actress. (Text: Wikipedia)
In another collaboration with Allen, Johansson was cast opposite Hugh Jackman and Allen in the 2006 feature Scoop. While the film enjoyed a modest worldwide box office success, it received mixed reviews by critics. The New York Times' called the film "not especially funny yet oddly appealing." The same year, she appeared in Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia, a film noir shot in Los Angeles and Bulgaria. Johansson later said that she was a De Palma fan and had wanted to work with him on the film, even though she thought that she was "physically wrong" for the part. (Text: Wikipedia)
Johansson next appeared in the Christopher Nolan thriller The Prestige in a supporting role, again opposite Hugh Jackman as well as Christian Bale. Nolan, who described Johansson as possessing an "ambiguity... a shielded quality", said that he was "very keen" for her to play the role. Johansson said that she "loved working with [Nolan]", he was "incredibly focused and driven and involved, and really involved in the performance in every aspect." The film was both a critical and a worldwide box office success, recommended by the 'Los Angeles Times' as "an adult, provocative piece of work." (Text: Wikipedia)
Johansson starred in 2007's The Nanny Diaries alongside Laura Linney. The film performed only marginally well at the box office, and was critically panned. Johansson's reviews were mixed, with 'Variety' saying she "essays an engaging heroine", while the 'The New Yorker' criticised her for looking "merely confused" while "trying to give the material a plausible emotional center". (Text: Wikipedia, Photo Courtesy: Vogue)
2008 brought an upturn in critical reception for Johansson's performances. She starred in The Other Boleyn Girl opposite Natalie Portman and Eric Bana, a film which garnered mixed reviews for the film itself. 'Variety' credited the cast as "almost flawless ... at the top of its game", citing "Johansson's quieter Mary ... as the pic's emotional center, her tender love story with the conflicted monarch evoking the only genuine feelings on display." (Text: Wikipedia, Photo Courtesy: Louis Vuitton)
She filmed her third Woody Allen film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, in Spain, appearing opposite Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. The film was one of Allen's most profitable films, appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Overall, the film received generally favorable reviews, and brought co-star Cruz numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Johansson was described as being "open and malleable" and "serves as a nice contrast to the [other actors]". (Text: Wikipedia)
Johansson played a small supporting role as femme fatale Silken Floss, an ally of Samuel L. Jackson's villain Dr. Octopus, in Frank Miller's film noir comedy adaptation of The Spirit. The film, described as "a great-looking movie with an awkward balance of pulp noir and campy self-awareness" and "style without substance, style whirling in a senseless void", received almost universally poor reviews. (Text: Wikipedia)
Johansson appeared in the role of Anna, a yoga instructor, in the 2009 ensemble cast of He's Just Not That Into You, with Jennifer Connelly, Bradley Cooper, Drew Barrymore and Kevin Connolly. The film was a box office success, but only gained average critical reception. 'The San Francisco Chronicle' review noted that the film "never soars, but it never flags" yet lauds Johansson, saying "she has become a deft comic actress." 'The Los Angeles Times' calls the film an "anti-romantic romantic comedy" and cites the scenario in which Johansson appears with Jennifer Connelly and Bradley Cooper as having "more meat than others", making it "one of the best." 'The Baltimore Sun' criticized the film, saying it "stumbles somewhat when it tries to get serious", but praised Johansson for "proving she doesn't need Woody Allen to be funny." (Text: Wikipedia)
In March 2009, Johansson signed on to play Black Widow in Iron Man 2 after a scheduling conflict forced Emily Blunt to drop out of the part. The film, slated for a May 2010 release is directed by Jon Favreau and also stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson and Sam Rockwell. Appearing at Comic-Con in San Diego, California on July 26, 2009, Johansson joked about her audition for the film, saying it consisted of "a couple of deep knee bends and lunges", but Favreau credited her with performing her own stunts: "All the fighting and wire work is her own. She worked really hard and it shows on the screen." (Text: Wikipedia)
In 2005, Johansson was considered for the role of Maria in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End revival of The Sound of Music, though the role ultimately went to newcomer Connie Fisher. Released on May 8, 2006, Johansson sang the track 'Summertime' for Unexpected Dreams – Songs from the Stars, a non-profit collection of songs recorded by Hollywood actors. She performed with The Jesus And Mary Chain for a special Coachella Reunion Show in Indio, California in April 2007. In 2007, she appeared as the leading lady in Justin Timberlake's music video for What Goes Around.../...Comes Around, nominated in August 2007 for video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards. The video sparked rumors of a romance between Johansson and Timberlake. (Text: Wikipedia)
In the summer of 2007, Johansson spent about a month in Maurice, Louisiana recording an album at Dockside Studio. The album, consisting of one original song and ten cover versions of Tom Waits songs, was produced by Dave Sitek and features David Bowie. Reviews of the album were mixed to somewhat positive. Rolling Stone commented that her "voice is unremarkable and her pitch sometimes unsteady; she's a faintly goth Marilyn Monroe lost in a sonic fog." Conversely, some critics found it to be "surprisingly alluring", "a bravely eccentric selection", and "a brilliant album" with "ghostly magic". The album was named the "23rd best album of 2008" by NME and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and #126 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2009, Johansson covered Jeff Buckley's Last Goodbye for the soundtrack of He's Just Not That Into You. This year she and singer-songwriter Pete Yorn also recorded a collaborative album, Break Up, inspired by Serge Gainsbourg's duets with Brigitte Bardot. (Text: Wikipedia)
After losing the part of Eliza Dolittle in the film remake of My Fair Lady to Keira Knightley, there is some consolation for Johansson who will make her Broadway debut in Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge in January 2010. According to 'The Telegraph', her co-star on stage will be Liev Shreiber as a Brooklyn longshoreman who becomes obsessed with Johansson as his 17-year-old orphaned niece. The play is scheduled for a 14-week run, opening on January 24, 2010 at the Cort Theater. (Text: Wikipedia)
Johansson rarely discusses her personal life with the press, saying "it's nice to have everybody not know your business." Johansson's ex-boyfriend and member of the band Steel Train, Jack Antonoff, wrote lyrics that refer to Johansson in the song Better Love." She has been linked to many famous men, including Benicio del Toro, Jared Leto, Justin Timberlake, and her Black Dahlia co-star Josh Hartnett, though Johansson denies she had a relationship with del Toro. Johansson and Hartnett dated for about two years until the end of 2006, with Hartnett citing their busy lives as the reason for the split. (Text: Wikipedia, Photo Courtesy: Elle)
She started dating Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds in 2007, and on May 5, 2008, it was reported that the two were engaged. On September 27, 2008, Johansson and Reynolds were married at a quiet ceremony on Vancouver Island in Tofino, British Columbia. Earlier, Johansson expressed a concern about the potential conflict between the nature of human beings and the concept of monogamy. However, she has stated "contrary to popular belief... [I am] not promiscuous" and that she works "really hard" when she's in a relationship "to make it work in a monogamous way." (Text: Wikipedia)
She has criticised the media and Hollywood for promoting an image that causes unhealthy diets and eating disorders among women, saying "that being ultra-thin is not sexy at all. Women shouldn't be forced to conform to unrealistic and unhealthy body images that the media promote." (Text: Wikipedia)
Johansson is considered to be a modern sex symbol, and she regularly appears at the top of lists of the sexiest women in the world. Johansson appeared on the cover of the March 2006 issue of Vanity Fair in the nude alongside actress Keira Knightley and fashion designer Tom Ford. Maxim named Johansson #6 in their Hot 100 Issue in 2006; #3 in 2007 and #2 in 2008. In November 2006, Johansson was named "Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire. In February 2007, she was named the "Sexiest Celebrity" of the year by Playboy. During the filming of 'Match Point', director Woody Allen described Johansson as "sexually overwhelming", saying that he found it "very hard to be extra witty around a sexually overwhelming, beautiful young woman who is wittier than you are." (Text: Wikipedia, Photo Courtesy: Louis Vuitton)
Johansson has appeared in advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, L'Oreal and Louis Vuitton. After appearing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala with Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Johansson was announced as the face of the new Dolce and Gabbana make-up collection in early 2009. Johansson's latest ad campaign is also being seen as a backlash against waif-like models. The actress shows off her womanly curves as a 50's-era housewife, bringing a modern edge to vintage glamour, in Dolce & Gabbana's new fragrance campaign for L'Eau The One. (Photo Courtesy: Dolce & Gabbana)
