PERSONAL DETAILS : Scarlett Johansson

PERSONAL DETAILS

Name: Scarlett Johansson
Born: 22 November 1984
Where: New York City, New York, USA
Height: 5' 4"

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.

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."

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).