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Marisa Tomei (born December 4, 1964)
is an American stage, film and television actress. Tomei first came to
prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A
Different World in 1987.
She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance
in My Cousin Vinny (1992). She received subsequent nominations for her
performances in In the Bedroom (2001) and The Wrestler (2008).
Her most commercially successful films to date are What Women Want (2000),
Anger Management (2003), and Wild Hogs (2007). She received critical
acclaim for her performances in Unhook the Stars (1996), Before the Devil
Knows You're Dead (2007) and The Wrestler (2008).
Tomei, an Italian American, was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter
of Patricia "Addie," an English teacher, and Gary A. Tomei, a trial
lawyer. She has a younger brother, actor Adam Tomei, and was partly raised
by her paternal grandparents, Rita and Romeo Tomei. Tomei grew up in the
Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn. While there, she became captivated by
the Broadway shows that her theater-loving parents took her to and became
drawn to acting as a career. After graduating from Edward R. Murrow High
School, she attended Boston University for a year, transferring to New
York University in 1983 after landing a role in the soap opera As The
World Turns. Soon afterward, she dropped out of school as her career began
achieving success.
Tomei followed up As the World Turns, in 1987, with a role on the sitcom A
Different World. Her breakthrough comedic performance came in My Cousin
Vinny (1992), for which she was named Best Supporting Actress at the 1993
Academy Awards, prevailing over Miranda Richardson, Joan Plowright,
Vanessa Redgrave and Judy Davis. American film critic Rex Reed created
controversy (and a minor Hollywood myth) when he suggested that Jack
Palance had announced the wrong name after opening the envelope. While
this has been repeatedly disproved - even the Academy has officially
denied it - Tomei has called the story "extremely hurtful".
After her Oscar win, she received a Screen Actor's Guild Award nomination
for Outstanding Female Supporting Actor for Nick Cassavetes's Unhook the
Stars. Next, Tomei received an American Comedy Award nomination for
Funniest Supporting Actress for Tamara Jenkins's Slums of Beverly Hills.
However, she spent several years away from high-profile roles and major
motion pictures before rising again to prominence. Next she was nominated
for a Satellite Award, as Best Supporting Actress for What Women Want. She
would go on to receive further critical acclaim and respect for her
performances in Alfie and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and received
Academy Award nominations for In the Bedroom and The Wrestler.
Former Saturday Night Live cast member Jay Mohr wrote in his book Gasping
for Airtime that, as guest host in October 1994, Tomei insisted that a
proposed sketch about another actress not be used because she didn't like
the idea of making fun of her, which displeased the writers and
performers, given the show's penchant for satirizing celebrities.
In 1996, Tomei made a guest appearance on the sitcom Seinfeld, playing
herself in the two-part episode "The Cadillac". In this episode, George
attempts to get a date with Tomei through a friend of Elaine. She has also
made an appearance on The Simpsons as movie star Sara Sloane, who falls in
love with Ned Flanders.
She received her first Golden Globe Award and her second Academy Award
(Best Supporting Actress) nominations for her work in Todd Field's In The
Bedroom (2001).
In 2003, Tomei appeared in the hit Anger Management with Adam Sandler and
Jack Nicholson. In 2005, she was featured in an ad campaign for Hanes with
the slogan "Look who we've got our Hanes on now", featuring various other
celebrities including Michael Jordan, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Damon Wayans,
Matthew Perry and, on Spanish-language advertising, Aracely Arambula and
Pablo Montero.
In 2006, Tomei had a recurring role on the TV series Rescue Me, playing
Johnny Gavin's ex-wife Angie. She won a Gracie Allen Award for Supporting
Actress in a Drama Series for her work in the four episodes she appeared
in.
In 2007, she appeared in the comedy Wild Hogs alongside John Travolta, Tim
Allen, William H. Macy and Martin Lawrence. The film was a blockbuster hit
and was one of the highest-grossing movies of 2007. She also starred in
the Sidney Lumet-directed Before the Devil Knows You're Dead opposite
co-stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke. This role received extra
attention because Tomei appeared in nude love scenes with both Hoffman and
Hawke. In 2008, Tomei performed nude dance routines in the independent
film The Wrestler opposite Mickey Rourke. She was nominated for a BAFTA,
Golden Globe and Academy Award for this performance. Numerous critics
heralded this performance as a standout in her career.
Tomei was included at #18 on the FHM annual list of "100 Sexiest Females
in the world" in 2009.
Tomei has also done substantial work in the theater, including taking lead
roles on Broadway in Wait Until Dark (1998) and Salomé (2003), and many
Off-Broadway plays.
In the early 1990s, Tomei dated Robert Downey, Jr. (her co-star in Chaplin
and Only You). In 1999, she dated actor Dana Ashbrook and had a
relationship with playwright Frank Pugliese, living with him in Greenwich
Village.
Tomei was the recipient of an honorary degree from Boston University. |
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Cyrus (2010) .... Molly
Amsterdam (2009) (V) .... Donna
The Wrestler (2008) .... Cassidy
War, Inc. (2008) .... Natalie Hegalhuzen
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) .... Gina Hanson
Wild Hogs (2007) .... Maggie
... aka Blackberry (Philippines: English title: review title)
Grace Is Gone (2007) .... Woman at Pool
The Rich Inner Life of Penelope Cloud (2007) (TV) .... Penelope
Cloud
"Rescue Me" .... Angie (4 episodes, 2006)
- Karate (2006) TV episode .... Angie
- Satisfaction (2006) TV episode .... Angie
- Zombies (2006) TV episode .... Angie
- Chlamydia (2006) TV episode .... Angie
Danika (2006) .... Danika Merrick
Factotum (2005) .... Laura
... aka Factotum (France)
... aka Factotum: A Man Who Performs Many Jobs (USA: long title)
Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005) ....
Meredith Morrison
... aka Ballroom Dancing (Hong Kong: English title: short title)
Loverboy (2005) .... Sybil
Alfie (2004) .... Julie
"Game Over" (2004) TV series (voice) .... Raquel Smashenburn
(unaired pilot)
Anger Management (2003) .... Linda
"The Simpsons" .... Sara Sloane (1 episode, 2003)
- A Star Is Born Again (2003) TV episode (voice) .... Sara Sloane
The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002) (voice) .... Bree Blackburn
The Guru (2002) .... Lexi
... aka Le gourou et les femmes (France)
Just a Kiss (2002) .... Paula
Jenifer (2001) (TV) .... Nina Capelli
Someone Like You... (2001) .... Liz
... aka Animal Attraction (UK)
... aka Someone Like You (Australia)
In the Bedroom (2001) .... Natalie Strout
What Women Want (2000) .... Lola
King of the Jungle (2000) .... Det. Costello
The Watcher (2000/I) .... Polly
Happy Accidents (2000) .... Ruby Weaver
Dirk and Betty (2000) .... Paris
Slums of Beverly Hills (1998) .... Rita Abromowitz
Only Love (1998) (TV) .... Evie
Since You've Been Gone (1998) (TV) (uncredited) .... Tori
... aka Ten Years Later (Australia)
My Own Country (1998) (TV) .... Mattie Vines
Welcome to Sarajevo (1997) .... Nina
A Brother's Kiss (1997) .... Missy
Unhook the Stars (1996) .... Monica Warren
... aka Décroche les étoiles (France)
Four Rooms (1995) .... Margaret
The Perez Family (1995) .... Dorita Evita Perez
Only You (1994) .... Faith Corvatch
... aka Him
... aka Just in Time
The Paper (1994) .... Martha Hackett
Untamed Heart (1993) .... Caroline
"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" .... Herserlf (1 episode, 1993)
... aka Jay Leno (Australia)
- Episode dated 13 January 1993 (1993) TV episode .... Herserlf
Chaplin (1992) .... Mabel Normand
... aka Charlot (Italy)
Equinox (1992) .... Rosie Rivers
... aka Isimeria
My Cousin Vinny (1992) .... Mona Lisa Vito
Zandalee (1991) .... Remy
Oscar (1991) .... Lisa Provolone
Parker Kane (1990) (TV) .... April Haynes
"A Different World" .... Maggie Lauten (21 episodes, 1987-1988)
- My Dinner with Theo (1988) TV episode .... Maggie Lauten
- Come Back, Little Eggby (1988) TV episode .... Maggie Lauten
- If Only for One Night (1988) TV episode .... Maggie Lauten
- Clair's Last Stand (1988) TV episode .... Maggie Lauten
- Speech Therapy (1988) TV episode .... Maggie Lauten
(16 more)
"Leg Work" .... Donna Ricci (1 episode, 1987)
- Pilot (1987) TV episode .... Donna Ricci
"ABC Afterschool Specials" .... Noelle Crandall (1 episode, 1987)
- Supermom's Daughter (1987) TV episode .... Noelle Crandall
Playing for Keeps (1986) .... Tracy
"As the World Turns" .... Marcy Thompson (1 episode, 1984)
- Episode dated 24 December 1984 (1984) TV episode .... Marcy
Thompson
The Flamingo Kid (1984) .... Mandy
The Toxic Avenger (1984) (uncredited) .... Health Club Girl |
