SCARLETT JOHANSSON

'Scarlett I. Johansson' (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. She rose to fame with her role in 1998's ''The Horse Whisperer'' and subsequently gained critical acclaim for her roles in ''Ghost World'', ''Lost in Translation'' and ''Girl with a Pearl Earring'', the latter two earning her Golden Globe Award nominations in 2003.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Acting career

Music career

Advertising work

Media appearances

Personal life

Filmography

References

External links

Biography

Early life

Johansson was born in New York City. Her 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 a Jewish American family from the Bronx.^[1][2][3] Johansson's parents met in Denmark, where her mother lived with Johansson's maternal grandmother, Dorothy, a former bookkeeper and schoolteacher.^[4] Johansson has an older sister, Vanessa, who is also an actress; an older brother, Adrian; a twin brother, Hunter, also an actor; and a half-brother, Christian, from her father's re-marriage.
Johansson grew up in a household with "little money." She began her theater training by attending and graduating from Professional Children's School in Manhattan in 2002.

Acting career

Johansson began acting during childhood, after her mother began taking her to auditions. She made her film debut in 1994's ''North''. After appearing in several films during the late 1990s, Johansson garnered praise and widespread attention for her performance in 1998's ''The Horse Whisperer'' and 2001's ''Ghost World''.
She won the "Upstream Prize" for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in 2003's ''Lost in Translation''. The same year, she was nominated for two Golden Globe Award for Best Actress awards at the Golden Globes, one for drama (''Girl with a Pearl Earring'') and one for comedy (''Lost in Translation''). She was also nominated for Best Actress for both films at the BAFTAs, and won Best Actress for ''Lost in Translation''.
Johansson was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in June 2004.^[5] In the same year, she starred in the films ''The Perfect Score'', ''In Good Company'' and ''A Love Song for Bobby Long'', the last of which earned her a third Golden Globe Award nomination. Johansson was involved for a short time with the film '', 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.^[6] She was replaced by Keri Russell.
In July 2005, Johansson starred with Ewan McGregor in Michael Bay's ''The Island'', making her debut as a female lead in a mainstream action film. In the same year, she starred in the Woody Allen-directed drama ''Match Point'', which opened in December. Johansson received her fourth Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the role, but lost to Rachel Weisz.
Johansson's next film, ''Scoop'', another collaboration with Allen, was released on July 28, 2006. The same year, she appeared in Brian De Palma's ''The Black Dahlia'', a film noir shot in Los Angeles and Bulgaria. Johansson has noted 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.^[7] Her reviews were mixed: CNN.com noted that Johansson "takes to the pulpy period atmosphere as if it were oxygen,"^[8] whereas the ''Kalamazoo Gazette'' referred to Johansson as "miscast".^[9]
On January 14, 2006, Johansson hosted ''Saturday Night Live''. Also in 2006, Johansson starred in a short film directed by Bennett Miller and set to Bob Dylan's "When the Deal Goes Down...", released to promote Dylan's album, ''Modern Times''.^[10]
Johansson's thriller ''The Prestige'', opened on October 20, 2006.
She made a return appearance on ''Saturday Night Live'' on April 21, 2007, during which she dueted with Andy Samberg for a version of "Something to Talk About".
Her newest film, ''The Nanny Diaries'', in which she stars alongside Alicia Keys, opened on August 24, 2007. In post-production as of August 2007, Johansson stars opposite Natalie Portman and Eric Bana in ''The Other Boleyn Girl'', playing Mary Boleyn.^[11] Also in August 2007, she is filming her third Woody Allen film, his "Untitled Spanish Project", in Barcelona.
^[12]
Johansson has signed on for three new projects. She was cast to the femme fatale Silk N Floss opposite Gabriel Macht in Frank Miller’s noir comedy adaptation of Will Eisner's comic ''The Spirit''. The movie is scheduled to go into production October 2007.^[13] She will also portray Mary, Queen of Scots in a film scheduled to begin production in March 2008^[14][15] and appear as a pilates instructor in ''He’s Just Not That Into You'', with Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Justin Long. The film is directed by Ken Kwapis, and produced by Barrymore.

Music career

In 2005, Johansson was considered for the role of Maria^[16] in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End stage version of ''The Sound of Music'', though the role ultimately went to newcomer Connie Fisher after she won BBC's talent show "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?"^[17] Released 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 also performed with The Jesus And Mary Chain for a special Coachella Reunion Show in Indio, California in April 2007. YahooMusicNews
In the summer of 2007, Johansson spent about a month in Maurice, Louisiana recording an album at Dockside Studio, a rural 12-acre complex.^[18] The album, entitled ''Scarlett Sings Tom Waits'', consists entirely of Johansson's cover versions of Tom Waits songs.^[19] It is being produced by Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio, features members from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs^[20][21] and Celebration,^[22] and is scheduled for release on October 7, 2007.^[23]
In 2006, Johansson was the leading lady in Bob Dylan's music video for "When the Deal Goes Down". In 2007, she appeared as the leading lady in Justin Timberlake's music video for "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around Interlude," nominated August 2007 for video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards.^[24]

Advertising work

Johansson endorsed the Calvin Klein perfume "Eternity Moment" and was featured in several commercials and printed advertisements for the product. One of the commercials was featured in her 2005 film ''The Island''. She became the face and spokesperson for Louis Vuitton in early 2005 and has appeared in three of their ad campaigns: Spring 2005, Spring 2007 and Fall 2007. In January 2006, she was named as a spokesperson of L'Oreal.^[25]
In July 2006, Reebok signed a deal with Johansson to co-create "Scarlett 'Hearts' Rbk," athletic footwear scheduled for a debut in the spring of 2007. Johansson will also be featured in Reebok's global women's advertising campaign, also in the spring of 2007. The company's press releases described Johansson as a "world renowned style icon" and an "inspiration for today's young women."^[26]

Media appearances

Johansson appeared on the controversial cover of the February 2006 issue of ''Vanity Fair'' in the nude with fellow Hollywood "it girl" Keira Knightley and world-renowned fashion designer Tom Ford.
In March 2006, she topped the U.S. edition of ''FHM'''s poll of the sexiest women alive (in the UK edition Johansson was third). In May 2006, ''Maxim'' named Johansson #6 in their Hot 100 issue,^[27] In November 2006, Johansson was named "Sexiest Woman Alive" by ''Esquire''.^[28] She was featured at #3 in ''Maxim's Hot 100 for 2007.

Personal life

Johansson is a Democrat and campaigned for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. She was later quoted as saying, of George W. Bush's re-election, that "[she was] disappointed. I think it was a disappointment for a large percentage of the population."^[29] Johansson has also taken part in the anti-poverty campaign ONE which was organised by U2 lead singer Bono.
Johansson has previously stated that she has a connection to older men, and could not see herself dating anyone under the age of 30. She has also noted that she does not discuss her personal life with the press, specifying that she feels "it's nice to have everybody not know your business." However, this has not stopped Johansson from sharing "select" opinions and personal details.^[30] Johansson's ex-boyfriend (and member of the band Steel Train), Jack Antonoff, has included lyrics that refer to Johansson in his band's song "Better Love."^[31] Antonoff also references Johansson in the song "2 O'clock."
She has been linked to many famous men, including Derek Jeter, Benicio del Toro, Jared Leto, Justin Timberlake and most notably her ''Black Dahlia'' co-star Josh Hartnett. The pair dated for around two years until the end of 2006, with Hartnett citing their busy professional lives as the reason for the split. Fametastic
Johansson has repeatedly said that she does not believe in monogamy, and that it is not human nature to be with just one person. She has also said that "contrary to popular belief... [she is] not promiscuous" and she works "really hard" when she is in a relationship "to make it work in a monogamous way."^[32] She gets tested for HIV twice a year, and has specified that she feels "it's part of being a decent human" and that she finds it "disgusting" and "irresponsible" when people do not do so. Scarlett Johansson: 'I'm Not Promiscous'
Johansson has claimed to be a fanatic for cheese, saying: "My greatest vice is cheese. Nothing else reigns over my life."^[33] She has criticized the media and Hollywood for promoting an image that causes unhealthy diets and eating disorders among women, saying that she thinks "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."^[34]
When asked about her religious affiliation, Johansson has answered: "That's a very personal question. I would rather not answer." She has, however, specified that she celebrates a "little of both" referring to Christmas and Hanukkah.^[35] She has noted that she dislikes it when celebrities thank God or Jesus in their award acceptance speeches.^[36] She described herself as Jewish when she was talking about Woody Allen. "I just adore Woody," she says. "We have a lot in common. We're New Yorkers, Jewish. We have a very easygoing relationship".^[37]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	''North''	Laura Nelson
1995	''Just Cause''	Kate Armstrong
1996	''Manny & Lo''	Amanda	limited release
	''If Lucy Fell''	Emily
1997	''Home Alone 3''	Molly Pruitt
1998	''The Horse Whisperer''	Grace MacLean
1999	''My Brother the Pig''	Cathy Kaldwell
2001	''The Man Who Wasn't There''	Rachael 'Birdy' Abundas
	''An American Rhapsody''	Zsuzsi/Suzanne Sandor (at 15)
	''Ghost World''	Rebecca
2002	''Eight Legged Freaks''	Ashley Parker
2003	''Girl with a Pearl Earring''	Griet	Golden Globe Nomination
	''Lost in Translation''	Charlotte	Golden Globe Nomination; BAFTA Win
2004	''In Good Company''	Alex Foreman
	''A Love Song for Bobby Long''	Pursy Will	Golden Globe Nomination; limited release
	''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie''	Mindy	voice
	''The Perfect Score''	Francesca Curtis
2005	''Match Point''	Nola Rice	Golden Globe Nomination
	''The Island''	Jordan Two Delta/Sarah Jordan
2006	''The Prestige''	Olivia Wenscombe
	''The Black Dahlia''	Katherine 'Kay' Lake
	''Scoop''	Sondra Pransky
	''A Good Woman''	Meg Windermere	limited release
2007	''The Nanny Diaries''	Annie Braddock
2008	''The Other Boleyn Girl''	Mary Boleyn	post-production
	''Woody Allen Barcelona Project''	Unknown	filming
	''Mary Queen of Scots''	Mary I of Scotland	pre-production
2009	''He's Just Not That Into You''	Unknown	pre-production
	''Brilliance''	Unknown	in production
	''The Spirit''	Silken Floss	pre-production[38]

References

1. Neil Young's Film Lounge
2. "More Than A Pretty Face" ''Parade''
3. http://www.esquire.com/women/the-sexiest-woman-alive/ESQ1106MYSTWOMAN_136
4. The Jewish Forward
5. http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2004/04.06.28.html
6. MSNBC
7. MoviesOnline
8. CNN.com
9. Kalamazoo Gazette
10. UltimateGuitar.com
11. MovieWeb
12. Hollywood Enters the Era of Scarlett
13.
Scarlett Johansson As A Femme Fatale
14. http://www.actressarchives.com/news.php?id=7458 Scarlett Johansson working triple time with new features, accessdate 2007-08-23
15. InTheNew.co.uk
16.
Lloyd Webber Wants Scarlett Johansson for London Sound of Music
17.
I would never mime on stage
18. Lafayette, La., ''Daily Advertiser''
19. FoxNews
20. Stars Shine in Maurice: Studio Gets Visit from A-list Johansson
21.
A Johansson debut
22.
MOVIE MINUTE: HOT ROD
23. Scarlett Johansson: From Actress to Singer Julie
24.
Justin Timberlake, Beyonce lead MTV Video Music Awards with 7 nods each
25. IMDB News
26. BusinessWire
27. Maxim's 2006 Top 100
28. Esquire: Scarlett Johansson `Sexiest'
29. ContactMusic
30. Reuters
31. TeenHollywood
32. Everyone should have HIV test twice a year, says Johansson Sarah Womack and John Hiscock
33. TheObserver
34. Teen Hollywood
35. BangItOut
36. FemaleFirst
37. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-08-21-scarlett-johansson-cover_N.htm
38. It's a triple feature for Johansson

External links

★

★

★

★