48. Scarlet Johansson

Forbes magazine regularly names Scarlett Johansson in its Celebrity 100 list of powerful public figures and no wonder – she’s the world’s highest-paid actress and the ninth-highest-grossing box office star of all time.

Scarlett has been recognised by the BAFTA, Academy and Golden Globe committees for her on-screen work, and won a Tony award for her 2010 Broadway performance in A View From The Bridge. Appearing in everything from art-house indie flicks, to Marvel blockbuster, Iron Man, Johansson’s varied roles have made her one of the most admired actresses of her generation.

Johansson has Ashkenazi Jewish roots and was born in New York city in 1984. She is involved in numerous charitable causes, including cancer research and anti-poverty campaigns and actively supports the Time’s Up movement that protests against the treatment of females in Hollywood.

In 2011, Scarlett wept as she took part in a TV show, Finding Your Roots, and discovered she had family who had perished in the Warsaw ghetto. While her grandfather escaped to America, his brother stayed in Poland and she was visibly moved as she contemplated the experiences of her ancestors in the Holocaust.

“The fate of one brother versus the other. It makes me feel more deeply connected to that side of myself, that side of my family.”