Scarlett Ingrid Johansson was born on November 22, 1984, in Manhattan, New York City, to Melanie Sloan, a Jewish mother from the Bronx, and Karsten Johansson, a Danish-born architect from Copenhagen. She has a sister, Vanessa Johansson, who is also an actress, a brother, Adrian, a twin brother, Hunter Johansson, born three minutes after her, and a paternal half-brother, Christian. Her grandfather was writer Ejner Johansson.
Johansson began acting during childhood, after her mother started taking her to auditions. She made her professional acting debut at the age of eight in the off-Broadway production of "Sophistry" with Ethan Hawke. She would audition for commercials but took rejection so hard her mother began limiting her to film tryouts. She made her film debut at the age of nine, as John Ritter's character's daughter in the fantasy comedy North.
Following minor roles in Just Cause and If Lucy Fell, she played the role of Amanda in Manny & Lo, which garnered a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female. Her performance in Manny & Lo garnered positive reviews, with one critic noting, "[the film] grows on you, largely because of the charm of... Scarlett Johansson", and San Francisco Chronicle critic Mick LaSalle commentating on her "peaceful aura".
After appearing in minor roles in Fall and Home Alone 3, Johansson garnered widely spread attention for her performance in The Horse Whisperer, directed by Robert Redford, where she played Grace MacLean, a teenager traumatized by a riding accident. She received a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress for the film.
In 1999, she appeared in My Brother the Pig and in the music video for Mandy Moore's single, "Candy". Although the film was not a box office success, she received praise for her breakout role in Ghost World, credited with "sensitivity and talent [that] belie her age". She was also featured in the Coen Brothers' dark drama The Man Who Wasn't There, opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Frances McDormand.
In 2003, she was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, one for drama (Girl with a Pearl Earring) and one for comedy (Lost in Translation),her breakout role, starring opposite Bill Murray, and receiving rave reviews and a Best Actress Award at the Venice Film Festival. Her film roles include the critically acclaimed Weitz brothers' film In Good Company, as well as starring opposite John Travolta in A Love Song for Bobby Long, which garnered her a third Golden Globe Award nomination.
She dropped out of Mission: Impossible III due to scheduling conflicts. Her next film role was in The Island, alongside Ewan McGregor, which earned weak reviews from U.S. critics. After this, she appeared in Woody Allen's Match Point, and was nominated again for a Golden Globe Award. In May 2008, she released her album "Anywhere I Lay My Head", a collection of Tom Waits covers featuring one original song.
