The American actress and singer, known by geeks all across the world as Black Widow, is 2018’s highest-paid actress and has been the recipient of several awards, including a Tony Award and a British Academy Film Award. Scarlett Johansson dreamed of being an actress from a very young age and debuted in her first film when she was just 10 years old.
To many, Johansson is considered a Hollywood sex symbol. To us, she is an all-American sweetheart. The accomplished actress was also married to Ryan Reynolds between 2008 and 2011. We’re looking forward to seeing her take the lead as Black Widow, in Marvel’s much-awaited solo prequel movie of the same name.
Lupita Nyong’o
Probably the most ethnically diverse actress on our list, the Kenyan-Mexican beauty Lupita Nyong'o was born in Mexico City and raised in Kenya from the age of one. The Hollywood actress began her career as a production assistant and made her first spotlight performance as Patsey, in 2013's award-winning historical drama, '12 Years a Slave', for which she received critical acclaim and several awards.
Nyong'o has since gone on to act in various highly acclaimed films, including 'Black Panther' and Jordan Peel's 2019 horror film 'Us'. The Kenyan-Mexican actress supports historic preservation and is a vocal women's rights and animal rights activist. She was even named 2014's most beautiful woman by People.
Miranda Kerr
Miranda Kerr, whose beauty and brains lead her to an incredible modeling career from a young age, was originally born in Sidney, Australia. Her modeling career began at age 13, which caused, among some, a "concerned outrage" due to the vulnerability of her young age. This raised some question as to the correctness of glorifying young girls within the fashion industry. Fortunately, Miranda didn’t let all that get in her way and has since become a much aspired to Victoria's Secret angel, launched her own brand of organic skincare products, and written a self-help book.
As if that weren't enough, this beauty also managed to tie the knot with Orlando Bloom, whom she was married to from 2010 to 2013. Kerr does at times express a longing for her simpler life before becoming a world-class model. When remembering her childhood years in the countryside in Australia, she says it was "very grounding ... there wasn't any pretentiousness and no one really cared what you were wearing. You could just be you."
Jourdan Dunn
With 2.4 million Instagram followers, she is considered part of an elite group of this generation's supermodels. 29-year-old British model and actress, Jourdan Dunn, already has a skyrocketing career that is only expected to get better over time. As of 2014, Dunn was declared an icon by models.com magazine.
Standing at 6ft tall, Dunn claims she was always self-conscious of her height. She claims that growing up, people often told her she should be a model. Luckily, she was scouted by an agent at age 15 while shopping in a London clothing store. The model has since gone on to win Model of the Year in 2008, 2013, 2015 and also Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017. Dunn has also secured some minor roles on TV and film.
Irina Shayk
The gorgeous Russian model received international recognition when she landed the cover of the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Irina Shayk was born in the Soviet Union during the late '80s, but says she inherited her South American look from her dark-skinned Turkish father.
After high school, Shayk was urged to participate in the "Miss Chelyabinsk 2004" beauty contest, and we're glad she participated and won! She went on to make her acting debut with the role of Megara, Hercules's wife in the 2014 action film, 'Hercules', alongside Dwayne Johnson. She also voiced Mila Belova in the popular 2011 videogame, 'Need for Speed: The Run'.