Scarlett Johansson's 42nd Birthday Countdown

Scarlett Johansson Timeline

About Scarlett Johansson

From indie breakthroughs like Lost in Translation to a decade as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Johansson became one of the highest-grossing box-office leads in film history.

Cast without an audition

A New York kid who trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, Johansson made her film debut at nine in North and earned raves at 13 opposite Robert Redford in The Horse Whisperer. Then came the break every actor dreams about: Sofia Coppola, who had admired her since the indie Manny & Lo, cast the 17-year-old in Lost in Translation without an audition. Her turn opposite Bill Murray in that quiet Tokyo story made her, at 18, a generational star.

The $14.8 billion leading lady

In July 2025, Jurassic World Rebirth pushed Johansson past Samuel L. Jackson to make her the highest-grossing lead actor in film history, with roughly $14.8 billion across just 36 movies. More than a decade as Black Widow, from Iron Man 2 in 2010 to her own Black Widow in 2021, did the heavy lifting, with hits like Lucy and Sing stacking on top. In 2020 she scored two Oscar nominations in the same year, for Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit.

Keeping the fire stations lit

Johansson skipped the 2007 Oscars to tour aid projects in India and Sri Lanka, part of eight years as a global ambassador for Oxfam that also took her to Kenya. Closer to home, she raises money for Solar Responders, the nonprofit founded by her twin brother Hunter after Hurricane Maria, which installs solar panels and battery storage at Puerto Rico's fire stations; its 19 installations have supplied over 1,200 hours of backup power during blackouts.

Quick facts

• Born November 22, 1984, in New York City, three minutes before her twin brother Hunter
• The highest-grossing lead actor in film history, at about $14.8 billion
• Played Black Widow for over a decade, from Iron Man 2 (2010) to Black Widow (2021)
• Earned two Oscar nominations in the same year (2020)
• Won a Tony Award for A View from the Bridge (2010)
• Released an album of Tom Waits covers, Anywhere I Lay My Head (2008)

Films to rewatch

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