At only 22 years old, Scarlett Johansson is one of the most successful young actresses in history, garnering a BAFTA award for Best Actress and four Golden Globe nominations despite barely being out of high school.
Of course, Johansson was bred to be a star, something she has readily admitted to. Born in New York City on November 22, 1984, Johansson attended the famed Professional Children’s School in Manhattan, a well-known stomping ground for child actors. She began her career at 10 years old with roles in “North” and the Sean Connery thriller “Just Cause”. She followed this success with a starring role in the terrific indie “Manny & Lo”, and in 1998 achieved her breakthrough with Robert Redford's opulent adaptation of “The Horse Whisperer”.
Since her early appearances Johansson has shown remarkable natural ability, and consistently gives expressive, confident performances reminiscent of actresses twice her age. After “The Horse Whisperer” she starred in the cult hit “Ghost World” and the Coen Brothers crime drama “The Man Who Wasn’t There” alongside Billy Bob Thornton, continuing to receive critical raves for her affecting and emotional performances. Her greatest success to date came in 2003 with Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation”, in which she played an existentially angst-ridden college grad visiting Japan with her goofy photographer husband. Co-starring a terrific Bill Murray, Johansson matched the experienced actor’s every move, delivering a heartfelt and subtle performance that helped make Coppola’s film one of the biggest indie hits of the last decade. Johansson received a 2003 Golden Globe nod for the film, in addition to a second for her dense performance in “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and a BAFTA for “Lost in Translation”.
The two films made her a critics’ darling and a major star, and in 2004 she followed up with brilliant turns in “In Good Company” and “A Love Song for Bobby Long”. Though the latter film was a box office failure, Johansson nonetheless scored a third Golden Globe nomination for her performance. In 2005 she received a fourth Globe nod for Woody Allen’s popular “Match Point”, and also attempted a foray into big-budget filmmaking opposite Ewan McGregor in the Michael Bay-directed “The Island”. The film bombed at the domestic box office, prompting the movie’s producers to play the blame game with Johansson, claiming that she was unable to connect with a mainstream audience. In fact, the only criticism Johansson deserved was for appearing in the hackneyed, poorly written action dud in the first place.
Johansson’s star will undoubtedly continue to rise, and in 2006 she’ll be seen in “Scoop”, “Prestige”, and the long-awaited Brian De Palma thriller “The Black Dahlia” alongside Hilary Swank, Josh Hartnett, and Aaron Eckhart. The elegant and interminably talented youngster is an emblem for a refreshing crop of phenomenal young stars.