Scarlett Johansson Biography Upon first glance, one could posit that Scarlett Johansson was actually made in a lab by a team of scientists hell-bent on creating the ultimate male fantasy. Instead she was born in New York City, and grew up with her twin brother in Greenwich Village (no wonder she’s so hip). The precocious youngster was a natural performer, and began landing roles in films like North, Manny & Lo and Robert Redford’s The Horse Whisperer, which wound up being her breakout role. After follow-up roles in the Coen Brothers’ The Man Who Wasn’t There, and Terry Zwigoff’sGhost World, the young Scarlett Johansson, who was fresh out of the Professional Children’s School in Manhattan, landed the role of a lifetime. She was just 18.