Scarlett Johansson has been acting since she was a child and continues to have a thriving cinematic career after almost 30 years. Let's take a look back at the list of films she’s appeared in and highlight some of the standout performances that have made her an icon of modern media.

1990s

Laura Nelson, North (1994)

Run Time: 1 hr 27 min | Genre: Adventure, Comedy | Director: Rob Reiner | Cast: Elijah Wood, Bruce Willis, Jason Alexander

Johansson makes her screen debut in this delightful Rob Reiner (The Princess Bride) comedy about a young boy, North (Elijah Wood), looking for the perfect parents. On a brief stop in North’s journey, he stays with a suburban couple who desperately want him to be a part of their nuclear family, and Johansson plays the youngest daughter who begs to have a new brother. Though she’s not in the movie for a long time, she radiates an adorable charm that bleeds into future roles and propel her to stardom.

Katie Armstrong, Just Cause (1995)

Run Time: 1 hr 42 min | Genre: Crime Drama | Director: Arne Glimcher | Cast: Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Capshaw

Emily, If Lucy Fell (1996)

Run Time: 1 hr 32 min | Genre: Comedy, Romance | Director: Eric Schaeffer | Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Eric Schaeffer, Ben Stiller

Amanda "Manny," Manny & Lo (1996)

Run Time: 1 hr 28 min | Genre: Drama | Director: Lisa Krueger | Cast: Aleksa Palladino, Mary Kay Place, Novella Nelson

In Johansson’s first leading role, she steps out the gate with an award-nominated performance as Manny, the 11-year-old sister of a chaotic pregnant teen. Manny and Lo is a dark comedy where the two main sisters take a woman hostage to help with the unexpected pregnancy. While it has many fun moments, it is also a heartwarming exploration of motherhood and breaking the cycle of bad parenting.

Little Girl, Fall (1997)

Run Time: 1 hr 33 min | Genre: Romance, Drama | Director: Eric Schaeffer | Cast: Eric Schaeffer, Amanda De Cadenet, Rudolf Martin

Molly Pruitt, Home Alone 3 (1997)

Run Time: 1 hr 42 min | Genre: Family, Comedy | Director: Raja Gosnell | Cast: Alex D. Linz, Olek Krupa, Rya Kihlstedt

Grace MacLean, The Horse Whisperer (1998)

Run Time: 2 hr 49 min | Genre: Western, Romance | Director: Robert Redford | Cast: Robert Redford, Kristin Scott , Sam Neill

Robert Redford (All the President's Men) and Johansson bounce off one another masterfully as she slowly opens up from a closed-off traumatized teen and gets back on the horse to ride off into a brighter future. The Horse Whisperer signals an expansion in Johansson’s range. No longer relegated to a plucky side character, she is allowed to grow as a character and show her ability to drive a story forward through subtle changes and thoughtful moments.

Kathy Caldwell, My Brother the Pig (1999)

Run Time: 1 hr 32 min | Genre: Family, Comedy | Director: Erik Fleming | Cast: Eva Mendes, Judge Reinhold, Alex D. Linz

2000s

Rachel "Birdy" Abundas, The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

Run Time: 1 hr 56 min | Genre: Crime Drama | Director: Joel Coen | Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco

Rebecca Doppelmeyer, Ghost World (2001)

Run Time: 1 hr 51 min | Genre: Comedy | Director: Terry Zwigoff | Cast: Steve Buscemi, Thora Birch, Illeana Douglas

Suzanne Sandor (age 15), An American Rhapsody (2001)

Run Time: 1 hr 46 min | Genre: Drama | Director: Éva Gárdos | Cast: Nastassja Kinski, Raffaella Bánsági, Tony Goldwyn

Ashley Parker, Eight Legged Freaks (2002)

Run Time: 1 hr 39 min | Genre: Comedy, Horror | Director: Ellory Elkayem | Cast: David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scott Terra

Charlotte, Lost in Translation (2003)

Run Time: 1 hr 42 min | Genre: Comedy, Drama | Director: Sofia Coppola | Cast: Bill Murray, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris

The award-winning film Lost in Translation is a turning point in Johansson’s career that was a bit controversial at the time. Moving on from the average teen roles she started playing after the Horse Whisperer, this was her first venture as a love interest. While she played a young woman in her 20s in a loveless marriage that randomly connects with a fading movie star (Bill Murray), Johansson was only 17 at the time. Johansson was starting to enter a phase of her career where she would be sexualized, whether she wanted to be or not, and it would shape her career moving forward.

Griet, Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

Run Time: 1 hr 40 min | Genre: Biography, Romance | Director: Peter Webber | Cast: Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Judy Parfitt, Cillian Murphy

Based on the true story of the young woman who inspired Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth) to create the famous oil painting of the same name, Girl with a Pearl Earring is a speculative tale that fleshes out the story of the mysterious muse. Johansson portrays Griet as a humble young servant in the artist’s household who shares his vision of the world, but his attention forces her to wrestle with the perceptions and ire of the aristocracy around her. This film is not just a masterpiece but also a reflection of Johansson’s real-life concerns at the time – a struggle between being the subject of attention in her films while being objectified by the people who consume them.

Francesca, The Perfect Score (2004)

Run Time: 1 hr 33 min | Genre: Crime Drama | Director: Brian Robbins | Cast: Erika Christensen, Chris Evans, Leonardo Nam, Matthew Lillard

Pursy, A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)

Run Time: 1 hr 59 min | Genre: Drama | Director: Shainee Gabel | Cast: John Travolta, Gabriel Macht, Deborah Kara Unger

Meg Windermere, A Good Woman (2004)

Run Time: 1 hr 33 min | Genre: Romance, Drama | Director: Mike Barker | Cast: Helen Hunt, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Campbell Moore

Princess Mindy, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)

Run Time: 1 hr 27 min | Genre: Animation, Comedy | Director: Stephen Hillenburg, Mark Osborne | Cast: Tom Kenny, Jeffrey Tambor, Rodger Bumpass

Alex Foreman, In Good Company (2004)

Run Time: 1 hr 49 min | Genre: Comedy, Romance | Director: Paul Weitz | Cast: Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Marg Helgenberger

Nola Rice, Match Point (2005)

Run Time: 2 hr 4 min | Genre: Romance, Thriller | Director: Woody Allen | Cast: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode

Match Point is an award-winning film and the first collaboration between controversial writer and director Woody Allen (Annie Hall) and Johansson. In this thrilling tale of lust and infidelity, Johansson brings passion and electrifying chemistry to the torrid affair with a recently married man played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Vikings). According to Allen’s memoir, he cast Johansson because “not only was she gifted and beautiful, but sexually she was radioactive,” further cementing her place in the public eye as a sex symbol.

Jordan Two Delta / Sarah Jordan, The Island (2005)

Run Time: 2 hr 16 min | Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller | Director: Michael Bay | Cast: Ewan McGregor, Djimon Hounsou, Steve Buscemi

Sondra Pransky, Scoop (2006)

Run Time: 1 hr 36 min | Genre: Crime, Comedy | Director: Woody Allen | Cast: Woody Allen, Hugh Jackman, Ian McShane, Fenella Woolgar

In their second cinematic venture, Woody Allen and Johansson star opposite one another as they try to catch an alleged serial killer (Hugh Jackman) based on tips they get from a ghost (Ian McShane). Johansson plays an investigative journalist that could break the story of a lifetime, but to gather clues, she has to infiltrate the killer’s life without falling for his charm. Scoop is a great vehicle for Johansson to show off her comedic chops that takes full advantage of the years of acting she had gathered under her belt at this point in her.

Kay Lake, The Black Dahlia (2006)

Run Time: 2 hr 1 min | Genre: Crime Drama, Mystery | Director: Brian De Palma | Cast: Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank

Olivia Wenscombe, The Prestige (2006)

Run Time: 2 hr 10 min | Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama | Director: Christopher Nolan | Cast: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Hall

Annie Braddock, The Nanny Diaries (2007)

Run Time: 1 hr 45 min | Genre: Romance, Comedy | Director: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini | Cast: Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti, Donna Murphy

Mary Boleyn, The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

Run Time: 1 hr 55 min | Genre: History, Drama | Director: Justin Chadwick | Cast: Natalie Portman, Eric Bana, Mark Rylance

This work of historical fiction based on Philippa Gregory’s novel of the same name pits Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and Johansson against one another as the 16th-century aristocratic sisters Anne and Mary Bolin as they fight for the heart of King Henry VIII. At this point, Johansson was no stranger to period dramas, and this role was a nice evolution of her previous work, granting her much more agency and a wealth of emotional scenes that she could chew on as much as she desired.

Cristina, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Run Time: 1 hr 36 min | Genre: Romance, Drama | Director: Woody Allen | Cast: Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a sexy romance that took the Cannes Film Festival by storm before earning dozens of awards and nominations. In her third collaboration with Woody Allen, Johansson leads alongside Rebecca Hall (The Prestige) and Javier Bardem (Skyfall) in a love quadrilateral that explores lost love and the lengths people will go to feel connection. Johansson and Penélope Cruz (Volver) are perfect opposites in this drama representing both the future and past that one must choose between on their journey of self-discovery.

Silken Floss, The Spirit (2008)

Run Time: 1 hr 43 min | Genre: Crime, Action | Director: Frank Miller | Cast: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Jaime King

Anna, He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

Run Time: 2 hr 9 min | Genre: Romance, Comedy | Director: Ken Kwapis | Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly

Director and Writer, These Vagabond Shoes (2009)

Run Time: 6 min | Genre: Short, Drama | Director: Scarlett Johansson | Cast: Kevin Bacon, Sean T. Krishnan, J. Salome Martinez

2010s

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Iron Man 2 (2010)

Run Time: 2 hr 4 min | Genre: Action, Sci-Fi | Director: Jon Favreau | Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow

Kicking off the action star phase of Johansson’s career, Iron Man 2 is the first appearance of the iconic Soviet spy-turned-S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Introduced as eye-candy for the titular Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr., as he spirals downwards thinking he is going to die from his own ARC reactor, the film slowly reveals her to be a highly capable fighter tasked with keeping an eye on the self-destructive genius. Johansson perfectly encapsulates Natasha Romanoff, aka The Black Widow, using the sexualization that had been thrust upon her over the years and putting it into this often underestimated character who is always more than meets the eye.

Kelly Foster, We Bought a Zoo (2011)

Run Time: 2 hr 4 min | Genre: Family, Drama | Director: Cameron Crowe | Cast: Matt Damon, Haden Church, Elle Fanning

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, The Avengers (2012)

Run Time: 2 hr 23 min | Genre: Action, Sci-Fi | Director: Joss Whedon | Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson

After her initial supporting role in Iron Man 2, Johansson takes the lead in this huge ensemble feature — a culmination of the four years and six movies that laid the foundation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like her character, Johansson holds her own even when surrounded by titans of the industry like Robert Downey Jr. (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) and Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction). Johansson gets to show off her spy skills and acrobatic stylings in this action-packed blockbuster where Black Widow and the other Avengers have to defend New York City from an alien invasion.

Janet Leigh, Hitchcock (2012)

Run Time: 1 hr 38 min | Genre: Biography, Drama | Director: Sacha Gervasi | Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Toni Collette

Barbara Sugarman, Don Jon (2013)

Run Time: 1 hr 30 min | Genre: Romance, Comedy | Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza

Laura, Under the Skin (2013)

Run Time: 1 hr 48 min | Genre: Horror, Mystery | Director: Jonathan Glazer | Cast: Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay, Krystof Hádek

Released from the shackles of being typecast for her looks due to her blockbuster fame, Johannson was free to take on a more diverse set of projects that allowed her to flex new acting muscles. Under the Skin is a sci-fi psychological thriller with stunning effects and experimental filming techniques that make it an unsettling, almost alien experience that’s a trip from start to finish. Johansson approaches the role with an uncanny stillness as her character preys on the men of Scotland, giving a performance unlike anything she’s done before.

Samantha, Her (2013)

Run Time: 2 hr 6 min | Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance | Director: Spike Jonze | Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara

Continuing her streak of cerebral science fiction films, Johansson lends her voice to Spike Jonze’s (Being John Malkovich) award-winning exploration of desire, heartbreak, and the human need for love. Her is the story of a struggling writer (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls in love with his AI virtual assistant Samatha, voiced by Johansson. The film asks big questions about what it means to connect with another person and how we define which relationships are valid. Although it dresses its themes up in a premise that is silly on its face, Jonze’s film just may push viewers to reframe how they see the world and the people in it.

Molly, Chef (2014)

Run Time: 1 hr 54 min | Genre: Adventure, Comedy | Director: Jon Favreau | Cast: Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., John Leguizamo

Lucy, Lucy (2014)

Run Time: 1 hr 29 min | Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller | Director: Luc Besson | Cast: Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik, Amr Waked

Written and directed by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element), a master of camp sci-fi and femme fatales, Lucy puts Johansson behind the wheel of a wild ride filled with super drugs and hyper-violent gangs. Johansson takes all the action movie experience she has gained leading up to this film and synthesizes it into a performance that carries the story forward at a breakneck pace. Johansson steps up her game by doing more of her own stunts, risking her own body to deliver a stunning experience that allowed the director to get right in her face for each and every bonkers sequence.

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Run Time: 2 hr 16 min | Genre: Action, Sci-Fi | Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo | Cast: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Run Time: 2 hr 21 min | Genre: Action, Sci-Fi | Director: Joss Whedon | Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo

DeeAnna Moran, Hail, Caesar! (2016)

Run Time: 1 hr 46 min | Genre: Mystery, Drama | Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Cast: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich

Kaa, The Jungle Book (2016)

Run Time: 1 hr 46 min | Genre: Adventure, Family | Director: Jon Favreau | Cast: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Run Time: 2 hr 27 min | Genre: Action, Sci-Fi | Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo | Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Sebastian Stan

Ash, Sing (2016)

Run Time: 1 hr 48 min | Genre: Family, Comedy | Director: Garth Jennings, Christophe Lourdelet | Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane

Having dipped her toes into voice acting with Her and The Jungle Book, Johansson dives all the way in as the punk rock porcupine Ash. Sing is about an ambitious koala (Matthew McConaughey) who wants to put on the greatest singing competition in history to save his struggling theater, so he gathers a motley crew to put on the show of a lifetime. Johansson does all her own singing in this inspiring animated film about never giving up on your dreams.

Major Mira Killian / Motoko Kusanagi, Ghost in the Shell (2017)

Run Time: 1 hr 47 min | Genre: Action, Crime Drama | Director: Rupert Sanders | Cast: Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche

One of Johansson’s most controversial roles to date, she stars in this live-action adaptation of the hit Japanese manga-turned-animated film of the same name. Ghost in the Shell takes place in a future where the line between humans and machines is essentially immaterial, and Johansson plays a cyborg supersoldier that gets caught up in a web of conspiracies. The film pays homage to the original source material in a number of sequences while creating a new story for western audiences.

Jessica "Jess" Thayer, Rough Night (2017)

Run Time: 1 hr 41 min | Genre: Comedy | Director: Lucia Aniello | Cast: Kate McKinnon, Zoë Kravitz, Ilana Glazer

Nutmeg, Isle of Dogs (2018)

Run Time: 1 hr 41 min | Genre: Animation. Adventure | Director: Wes Anderson | Cast: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Run Time: 2 hr 29 min | Genre: Action, Sci-Fi | Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo | Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Captain Marvel (2019)

Run Time: 2 hr 3 min | Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi | Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck | Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Run Time: ​​3 hr 1 min | Genre: Action, Sci-Fi | Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo | Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo

Avengers: Endgame marked the conclusion of 10 years of Marvel Cinematic Universe storytelling, and one of the biggest emotional rollercoasters in the film involves Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff as she gives one of the best performances of her MCU career. In the aftermath of the battle with Thanos, Black Widow is the de facto leader of the remaining guard — and the only thing holding the group together. Johansson took the film’s mantra of “whatever it takes” to heart, as she leaves nothing on the table by the end of the film, which serves as her unofficial send-off from the franchise.

Nicole Barber, Marriage Story (2019)

Run Time: 2 hr 17 min | Genre: Romance, Drama | Director: Noah Baumbach | Cast: Adam Driver, Julia Greer, Wallace Shawn

Johansson earned her first Oscar-nominated performance in Noah Baumbach’s (Frances Ha) heartwrenching story about a couple struggling through a tough divorce. Marriage Story puts Johansson opposite Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman) as their characters, Nicole and Charlie Barber, reflect on their relationship: the things that brought them together and the little things that slowly tore them apart. Johansson brings an intimacy and vulnerability to the performance that is a revelation, and you can tell she has been waiting for a chance to put everything she has into a role like this.

Rosie Betzler, Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Run Time: 1 hr 48 min | Genre: War, Drama | Director: Taika Waititi | Cast: Roman Griffin Davis, in McKenzie, Taika Waititi, Sam Rockwell

In her second Oscar-nominated role, Johansson gives a tender performance as the mother of a Hitler Youth (Roman Griffin Davis) who has to confront his indoctrinated beliefs once he befriends a wayward young Jewish girl (in McKenzie) his mother is hiding in the attic. Writer/director Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) adapts the Christine Leunens book Caging Skies that takes a satirical look at Nazism and begs viewers to think for themselves so they’re not just blindly following orders.

2020s

Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow (2021)

Run Time: 2 hr 14 min | Genre: Action Adventure | Director: Cate Shortland | Cast: Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz

After playing Black Widow for a decade, Johansson finally got a chance to star in a solo movie for the character – something that was long overdue. The film sees Romanoff reunite with her adoptive family in order to take down the Red Room once and for all. Mixing humor, darkness, and a genuinely terrifying villain, Black Widow was well worth the long wait, and Johansson and Florence Pugh’s chemistry is simply irresistible.

Ash, Sing 2 (2021)

Run Time: 1 hr 50 min | Genre: Animation, Comedy | Director: Garth Jennings, Christophe Lourdelet | Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Tori Kelly

Upcoming

Midge Campbell, Asteroid City (2023)

Run Time: 2 hr 19 min | Genre: Comedy, Romance | Director: Wes Anderson | Cast: Hong Chau, Margot Robbie, Tom Hanks

Asteroid City promises to be quintessential Wes Anderson. The film takes place in 1955 and follows a group of students and parents gathering for a Junior Stargazing convention in a fictional desert town. Johansson will play Midge Campbell who, from the trailer, seems to be a movie star of some kind. The stacked cast and unparalleled Andersonian aesthetics are sure to make Asteroid City another great film to add to Johansson's resume.

TBA, Project Artemis (TBA)

Run Time: TBD | Genre: Comedy, Romance | Director: Greg Berlanti | Cast: Woody Harrelson, Channing Tatum, Ray Romano

TBA, My Mother's Wedding (TBA)

Run Time: TBD | Genre: Drama | Director: Kristin Scott | Cast: Sienna Miller, Samson Kayo, Kristin Scott