Scarlett Johansson

Who Is Scarlett Johansson?

Scarlett Ingrid Johansson is one of the most celebrated actresses in Hollywood history. She was born on November 22, 1984, in Manhattan, New York City. She holds both American and Danish citizenship.

Her films have grossed over $14.3 billion worldwide. That makes her the ninth-highest-grossing box office star of all time. Moreover, she was the world’s highest-paid actress in 2018, 2019, and again in 2025.

She is globally recognized as Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Beyond that iconic role, she is an Oscar-nominated actress, a Tony Award winner, a BAFTA Award winner, and — as of 2025 — a critically acclaimed director.

Furthermore, Time magazine named her to its prestigious Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world in both 2021 and 2025.

Scarlett Johansson is, without question, one of the most powerful women in the entertainment industry today.

Early Life: Food Stamps, Greenwich Village, and a Dream

A Family of Four Kids in a Low-Income Manhattan Household

Scarlett Johansson and her twin brother Hunter were born to a Danish father and a Polish mother on November 22, 1984, in New York City.

Her father, Karsten Olaf Johansson, is an architect originally from Copenhagen, Denmark. Her mother, Melanie Sloan, is a producer from an Ashkenazi Jewish family with roots in Poland and Russia.

Life was not easy. “We were living on welfare, we were on food stamps,” she said about her childhood on a 2017 episode of Inside the Actors Studio. “My parents were raising four kids in a low-income household in Manhattan. So, it was a lot.”

Despite the hardships, Scarlett’s parents were deeply supportive. They encouraged her to dream big, as long as she put in the work.

Siblings: A Large and Talented Family

Scarlett and her twin brother, Hunter Johansson, are the youngest of four children born to Danish architect Karsten Johansson and producer Melanie Sloan. The twins have two older siblings — Adrian Johansson and Vanessa Johansson — as well as an older half-brother, Christian Johansson, and a younger sister, Fenan Sloan.

Her older sister Vanessa is also an actress. Her twin brother Hunter, born just three minutes after her, has been one of her closest companions throughout life. He was notably helpful during their parents’ divorce.

Parents’ Divorce and Life Split Between Coasts

Scarlett Johansson underwent a massive change when she was 13, when her parents decided to separate. Her mother moved to California, while she, her twin brother, and their father remained in New York.

It was a difficult period. However, her love for performing helped her stay grounded during those turbulent years.

Cultural Heritage: Danish Christmas and Jewish Roots

Scarlett has described herself as Jewish. However, she grew up celebrating both Jewish and Danish traditions. “Even though we’re Jewish, we always celebrated Christmas alongside Chanukah just because we loved the traditions of Danish Christmases,” she once said. This multicultural identity has shaped her worldview and her empathy as a performer.

Education: PS 41 and the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute

Johansson attended PS 41, an elementary school in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. She later attended the Professional Children’s School in New York before training at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. These formative years gave her a technical foundation that would serve her well for the rest of her career.

Career: From Off-Broadway to the Biggest Screens on Earth

The Very First Steps: Off-Broadway at Age Eight

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, at New York’s Playwrights Horizons.

She only had two lines in the play. But it was a beginning. Furthermore, it was proof that the stage was where she belonged.

Film Debut: North (1994)

She made her film debut at the age of nine, as John Ritter’s character’s daughter in the fantasy comedy North (1994).

More roles followed quickly. She earned widespread attention for her performances in Manny & Lo (1996) and The Horse Whisperer (1998). Both roles showed a depth of emotional maturity that was rare for such a young actress.

The Breakthrough: Ghost World (2001)

In 2001, Scarlett delivered a standout performance in Ghost World, playing a sarcastic, alienated teenager navigating life after high school. The role signaled her transition from child actress to serious dramatic performer. Critics took notice. The industry took notice.

Lost in Translation and Global Recognition (2003)

Then came the role that changed everything.

In 2003, Scarlett starred alongside Bill Murray in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation. The film became a critical sensation. Moreover, it won her the BAFTA Award for Best Actress — her first major international accolade.

In the same year, she appeared as a 17th-century servant in Girl with a Pearl Earring alongside Colin Firth. Together, these two 2003 films announced the arrival of a major new talent to the world.

The Woody Allen Era (2005–2008)

Scarlett became one of director Woody Allen’s most prominent muses during this period. She starred in Match Point (2005), Scoop (2006), and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008). Each role further demonstrated her range and her ability to hold the screen opposite some of Hollywood’s most experienced performers.

Additionally, she starred alongside Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige (2006) — a film that deepened her presence in mainstream Hollywood cinema.

Music: Anywhere I Lay My Head (2008)

Beyond acting, Scarlett has also pursued a musical career. In 2008, she released her debut album Anywhere I Lay My Head, a collection of Tom Waits covers. This creative leap showed that her artistic ambitions extended far beyond the screen.

Entering the MCU: Iron Man 2 (2010)

In 2010, Scarlett Johansson made her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Natasha Romanoff — the Black Widow — in Iron Man 2. It was the beginning of one of the most iconic partnerships in superhero film history.

She went on to reprise the role in The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), where she worked with Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth, and finally in her own standalone film, Black Widow (2021).

Her portrayal of Natasha Romanoff helped redefine how female characters operate in superhero blockbusters. Therefore, she remains one of the most beloved figures in the entire MCU.

Broadway: A Tony Award Winner (2010)

Meanwhile, Scarlett never left the stage behind. In 2010, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for A View from the Bridge on Broadway. She had previously appeared on Broadway in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 2008.

These stage achievements set her apart from her peers. She is one of the rare Hollywood stars who excels equally on film, television, and live theatre.

Her and Under the Skin (2013)

In 2013, Scarlett delivered two of the most unconventional performances of her career. In Spike Jonze’s Her, she voiced Samantha — a disembodied artificial intelligence — with extraordinary warmth and emotional depth, earning widespread critical praise without ever appearing on screen.

In the same year, she starred in Jonathan Glazer’s haunting science-fiction film Under the Skin, playing an alien predator in present-day Scotland. The role was daring, physical, and unlike anything she had done before.

Lucy (2014): Action Heroine Emerges

In 2014, Scarlett starred as the titular character in Luc Besson’s Lucy — a cerebral action thriller that was both a critical talking point and a massive global box office success. The film further established her as a bankable action star capable of carrying major films on her own.

The Oscar Nominations: Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit (2019)

The year 2019 marked the apex of her awards recognition. She received two simultaneous Academy Award nominations — Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress — for the respective roles of an actress going through a divorce in the drama Marriage Story (2019) and a single mother in Nazi Germany in the satire Jojo Rabbit (2019).

This extraordinary achievement — earning dual Oscar nominations in the same year — placed her among the most elite performers in cinema history.

Fly Me to the Moon (2024)

In 2024, Scarlett starred alongside Channing Tatum in the romantic comedy Fly Me to the Moon, a charming period piece set against the backdrop of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The film allowed her to show her comedic versatility once again.

2025–2026: A New Chapter — Director, Blockbuster Star, and Global Icon

The Phoenician Scheme (2025)

Johansson appeared in the 2025 spy comedy The Phoenician Scheme — her third Wes Anderson project — about a wealthy arms dealer who starts a new business venture after surviving an assassination attempt. Her collaborations with Wes Anderson have consistently produced some of the most visually and narratively inventive films of her career.

Eleanor the Great (2025): The Director Is Born

Then came the milestone no one saw coming — and yet, in hindsight, felt entirely inevitable.

Scarlett Johansson also tried her hand at directing. Her directorial debut, Eleanor the Great, earned a five-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

The film also premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Critics and audiences celebrated not just the film itself but the confident, emotionally grounded vision of its first-time director. Award nominations followed, including recognition at the Golden Frog and NYFCO Awards.

At 40 years old, Scarlett Johansson had done something extraordinary. She had reinvented herself — again.

Jurassic World Rebirth (2025): A Lifelong Dream Fulfilled

The actor is currently starring in Jurassic World Rebirth, which arrived in theaters in July. Taking place five years after 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion, Johansson plays a covert operations expert tasked with obtaining dinosaur DNA for a potential medical breakthrough.

She had been trying to join the Jurassic franchise for over 15 years. “I’ve been trying to get into a Jurassic movie for, I don’t know, 15 years or something,” she told The Hollywood Reporter, calling the experience “unbelievable.”

Her co-star in the film is Jonathan Bailey. The film became one of the biggest releases of summer 2025.

Awards and Accolades: A Career of Recognition

Award	Category	Project	Year
BAFTA Award	Best Actress	Lost in Translation	2004
Tony Award	Best Featured Actress in a Play	A View from the Bridge	2010
Academy Award Nomination	Best Actress	Marriage Story	2020
Academy Award Nomination	Best Supporting Actress	Jojo Rabbit	2020
Time 100	Most Influential People	—	2021, 2025
World’s Highest-Paid Actress	Forbes	—	2018, 2019, 2025
Cannes Standing Ovation	Directorial Debut	Eleanor the Great	2025
Audience Award	Film Festival	Various	2025
5× Golden Globe Nominations	Various	Various	Multiple years

Complete Filmography Highlights

Year	Film	Role
1994	North	Laura Nelson
1996	Manny & Lo	Lo
1998	The Horse Whisperer	Grace MacLean
2001	Ghost World	Rebecca
2003	Lost in Translation	Charlotte
2003	Girl with a Pearl Earring	Griet
2005	Match Point	Nola Rice
2006	The Prestige	Olivia Wenscombe
2008	Vicky Cristina Barcelona	Cristina
2010	Iron Man 2	Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
2012	The Avengers	Black Widow
2013	Her	Samantha (voice)
2013	Under the Skin	The Female
2014	Lucy	Lucy Miller
2019	Marriage Story	Nicole Barber
2019	Jojo Rabbit	Rosie Betzler
2021	Black Widow	Natasha Romanoff
2023	Asteroid City	Midge Campbell
2024	Fly Me to the Moon	Kelly Jones
2025	The Phoenician Scheme	—
2025	Eleanor the Great	Director / Producer
2025	Jurassic World Rebirth	Zora Bennett

Personal Life: Love, Marriage, and Motherhood

First Marriage: Ryan Reynolds (2008–2011)

Scarlett married Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds in September 2008. The couple divorced in 2011. The relationship was closely followed by the public, though both parties have since remained private about the details of their split.

Second Marriage: Romain Dauriac (2014–2017)

She married French journalist and businessman Romain Dauriac in 2014. Together, they welcomed a daughter, Rose Dorothy Dauriac, born in 2014. The couple divorced in 2017.

Third Marriage: Colin Jost (2020–Present)

In 2019, Scarlett became engaged to comedian and Saturday Night Live head writer Colin Jost. The couple wed in a small ceremony in October 2020 after getting engaged in May 2019.

Together, they share a son, Cosmo Jost, born in August 2021. The 40-year-old shares son Cosmo, 4, with husband Colin Jost as well as daughter Rose, 10, with ex Romain Dauriac.

The couple remains one of Hollywood’s most beloved pairings, regularly appearing at premieres and public events together.

Motherhood and Family

Scarlett has spoken openly about the joys and challenges of motherhood. She is protective of her children’s privacy and rarely shares details about their lives publicly. Nevertheless, she has spoken warmly about raising them in New York — the same city where she herself grew up — and passing down the love she had for the streets and neighborhoods of Manhattan.