Scarlett 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 (for which she won a BAFTA), and Girl with a Pearl Earring, the latter two earning her Golden Globe Award nominations in 2003.

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.  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 ActressRachel Weisz. for the role, but lost to

Johansson has signed on for three new projects. She was cast to the femme fatale Silken 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. She will also portray Mary, Queen of Scots in a film scheduled to begin production in March 2008 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.

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.

Johansson says she has a connection to older men, and could not see herself dating anyone under the age of 30. She does not discuss her personal life with the press, saying “it’s nice to have everybody not know your business.” This has not stopped Johansson from sharing “select” opinions and personal details. Johansson’s ex-boyfriend (and member of the band Steel Train), Jack Antonoff, wrote lyrics that refer to Johansson in the song “Better Love.”  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 2007, Maxim named Johansson #3 in their Hot 100 issue. In November 2006, Johansson was named “Sexiest Woman Alive” by Esquire. In February 2007, she was named the “Sexiest Celebrity” of the year by Playboy.

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