Early life

Johansson was born in New York City. Her father, Karsten Johansson, is a Danish architect, and her paternal grandfather, Ejner Johansson, was a screenwriter and director. Her mother, Melanie Sloan, comes from a Bronx-bred Jewish American family, and met Karsten Johansson while living in Denmark with Scarlett Johansson's maternal grandmother, Dorothy, a former bookkeeper and schoolteacher. 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.

Johansson began her theater training by attending and graduating from Professional Children's School in Manhattan in 2002, a school renowned for its theater and acting training to young, hopeful actors and actresses.

Career

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 a Best Actress Award at the Venice Film Festival for her performance as Charlotte in 2003's Lost in Translation; the film was well-reviewed and its success resulted in Johansson becoming a well-known actress. The same year, she was nominated for two 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 of 2004. 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 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 publically denied. She was replaced by Keri Russell.

In July 2005, Johansson starred with Ewan McGregor in the Michael Bay-directed The Island, making her debut as a female lead in a mainstream action film. She drew attention to both the film and herself when she proposed that she had wanted to film the sex scene in the film topless, but director Bay disapproved, wanting to keep the film at a PG-13 rating. 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 Woody Allen, was released on 28 July 2006. The same year, she appeared in director Brian De Palma's The Black Daliha, a film noir which was shot in Los Angeles and Bulgaria. Johansson has noted that she was a fan of De Palma and had wanted to work with him on the film, despite her belief that she was "physically wrong" for the part.

Johansson's next role is in The Prestige, which is scheduled to open in October of 2006. She has also completed filming on the yet be released film version of The Nanny Diaries, and has been cast opposite Natalie Portman and Eric Bana in The Other Boleyn Girl, playing Mary Boleyn, the sister of Portman's character. Filming is scheduled to begin in London in October 2006 for a 2007 release.

Johansson played a primary role in the music video "When the Deal Goes Down..." for lengendary song writer and performer Bob Dylan. She also sang the track "Summertime" for Unexpected Dreams - Songs from the Stars, a non-profit collection of songs recorded by Hollywood actors.

Modeling

Johansson endorsed the Calvin Klein perfume "Moment" and was featured in several commercials and printed advertisements for the product. Further establishing her position in Hollywood, she became the face and spokesperson for the French luxury brand Louis Vuitton in early 2005 and in January 2006 was named the spokesperson of L'Oreal.

In early 2006, Johansson appeared on the controversial cover of the February 2006 issue of Vanity Fair in nude with other Hollywood it girl Keira Knightley and world-renowned fashion designer Tom Ford. In March of 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 of 2006, Maxim named Johansson #6 in their Hot 100 issue, and in July of 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".

Personal life

Johansson is a Democrat and campaigned for John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential Election. Johansson has also taken part in an anti-poverty campaign which was organized by U2 lead singer Bono.

Johansson is reportedly dating actor Josh Hartnett, but had previously stated that she has a connection to older men and could not see herself dating anyone under the age of thirty. She has also noted that she does not discuss "any part" of her personal life with the press, specifying that "it's nice to have everybody not know your business". Johansson's ex-boyfriend, Steel Train co-founder Jack Antonoff, has included negative lyrics that refer to Johansson in his band's song, "Better Love".

Johansson has claimed to be addicted to cheese, saying: "My greatest vice is cheese. Nothing else reigns over my life."

When asked about her current 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" Christmas and Hanukkah. She has noted that she dislikes it when celebrities thank God or Jesus in their award acceptance speeches and has said that her parents are atheists.