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Marisa Tomei

Marisa Tomei

American actress

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Marisa Tomei was born on December 4, 1964, in Brooklyn, New York, to Patricia "Addie" (Bianchi), a teacher of English, and Gary Tomei, a lawyer, both of Italian descent. Marisa has a brother, actor Adam Tomei. As a child, Marisa's mother frequently corrected her speech as to eliminate her heavy Brooklyn accent. As a teen, Marisa attended Edward R. Murrow High School and graduated in the class of 1982. She was one year into her college education at Boston University when she dropped out for a co-starring role on the CBS daytime drama As the World Turns (1956). Her role on that show paved the way for her entrance into film: in 1984, she made her film debut with a bit part in The Flamingo Kid (1984). Three years later, Marisa became known for her role as Maggie Lawton, Lisa Bonet's college roommate, on the sitcom A Different World (1987).

Her real breakthrough came in 1992, when she co-starred as Joe Pesci's hilariously foul-mouthed, scene-stealing girlfriend in My Cousin Vinny (1992), a performance that won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Later that year, she turned up briefly as a snippy Mabel Normand in director Richard Attenborough's biopic Chaplin (1992), and was soon given her first starring role in Untamed Heart (1993). A subsequent starring role -- and attempted makeover into Audrey Hepburn -- in the romantic comedy Only You (1994) proved only moderately successful.

Marisa's other 1994 role as Michael Keaton's hugely pregnant wife in The Paper (1994) was well-received, although the film as a whole was not. Fortunately for Tomei, she was able to rebound the following year with a solid performance as a troubled single mother in Nick Cassavetes' Unhook the Stars (1996) which earned her a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She turned in a similarly strong work in Welcome to Sarajevo (1997), and in 1998 did some of her best work in years as the sexually liberated, unhinged cousin of Natasha Lyonne's Vivian Abramowitz in Tamara Jenkins' Slums of Beverly Hills (1998). Marisa co-starred with Mel Gibson in the hugely successful romantic comedy What Women Want (2000) and during the 2002 movie award season, she proved her first Best Supporting Actress Oscar win was no fluke when she received her second nomination in the same category for the critically acclaimed dark drama, In the Bedroom (2001). She also made a guest appearance on the animated TV phenomenon The Simpsons (1989) as Sara Sloane, a movie star who falls in love with Ned Flanders. In 2006, she went on to do 4 episodes for Rescue Me (2004). She played Angie, the ex-wife of Tommy Calvin (Denis Leary)'s brother Johnny (Dean Winters). At age 42, Marisa took on a provocative role in legendary filmmaker Sidney Lumet's melodramatic picture Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007), in which she appeared nude in love scenes with costars Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Marisa then took on another provocative role as a stripper in the highly acclaimed film The Wrestler (2008) opposite Mickey Rourke. Her great performance earned her many awards from numerous film societies for Best Supporting Actress, a third Academy Award nomination, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. Many critics heralded this performance as a standout in her career.

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Marisa Tomei Doesn't Understand the Spider-Man Multiverse | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fGEtOzBQao

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March 14, 2022

References

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Person
Person

Person attributes

Birthdate
December 4, 1964
Birthplace
Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Nationality
United States
United States
Location
United States
United States
Educated at
Boston University
Boston University
‌
Boston University College of Fine Arts
‌
Edward R. Murrow High School
Also Known As
Marisa Tomei
Awards Received
International Cinephile Society Awards
International Cinephile Society Awards
‌
Indiewire Critics' Poll
National Society of Film Critics Awards
National Society of Film Critics Awards
St. Louis Film Critics Association
St. Louis Film Critics Association
Satellite Awards
Satellite Awards
Razzie Awards
Razzie Awards
‌
Online Film & Television Association
International Online Cinema Awards
International Online Cinema Awards
...
Occupation
Actor
Actor
Film producer
Film producer
Actress
Actress

Other attributes

Birth Name
Marisa Tomei
Country
United States
United States
Citizenship
United States
United States
Italy
Italy
Known for
My Cousin Vinny (1992)
Notable Work
Four Rooms
Four Rooms
‌
The Lincoln Lawyer
‌
Happy Accidents
Welcome to Sarajevo
Welcome to Sarajevo
‌
Only You
What Women Want
What Women Want
‌
Grace Is Gone
‌
The Toxic Avenger
...
Partner
Logan Marshall-Green
Logan Marshall-Green
Short Name
Marisa Tomei
Wikidata ID
Q191828

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