Image of Marisa Tomei

Marisa Tomei

Marisa Tomei was born on December 4, 1964, in Brooklyn, New York, to mother Patricia "Addie" Tomei, an English teacher and father Gary Tomei, a lawyer. Marisa also 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 debuted 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 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 co-stars 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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Born:
Dec 4, 1964 In Brooklyn, New York, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
111
First Appeared:
In the series The Oscars 1953-03-19
Latest Project:
Movie High Tide 2024-10-18
Known For
Poster of Spare Parts
Poster of Loitering with Intent
Poster of She Said, She Said
Filmography
Movie High Tide Miriam 2024-10-18
Movie Upgraded Claire Dupont 2024-02-07
Movie Brothers Bethesda Waingro 2024-10-10
Movie Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love Self - Guest 2023-04-26
Movie She Came to Me Katrina Trento 2023-10-06
Movie Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home Self (archive footage) 2022-05-03
Movie Delia's Gone Fran 2022-08-19
Movie A Better Half (voice) 2022-06-17
Movie Quentin Tarantino: From a Movie Buff to a Hollywood Legend Self (archive footage) 2021-01-02
Movie Sweet Girl 2021-08-18
Movie Spider-Man: No Way Home May Parker 2021-12-15
Movie The King of Staten Island Margie Carlin 2020-07-22
Movie Human Capital Carrie Manning 2020-07-17
Movie Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine Satan 2020-10-27
Movie Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" Edith Bunker 2019-05-22
Movie I Hate Kids Christine Hurley 2019-01-18
Movie This Changes Everything Self 2019-06-28
Movie Avengers: Endgame Aunt May 2019-04-24
Movie Spider-Man: Far From Home May Parker 2019-06-28
Movie Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times" Edith Bunker 2019-12-18
Movie Frankie Ilene 2019-08-28
Movie The First Purge Dr. May Updale / Architect 2018-07-04
Movie After Everything Dr. Lisa Harden 2018-10-12
Movie Laboratory Conditions Emma Holloway 2018-10-13
Movie Dark Was the Night Margaret Lang 2018-11-30
Movie Citizen Jane: Battle for the City Jane Jacobs (voice) 2017-04-21
Movie Spider-Man: Homecoming May Parker 2017-07-05
Movie Captain America: Civil War May Parker 2016-04-27
Series Empire Mimi Whiteman 2015-01-07
Movie The Big Short Cynthia Baum 2015-12-11
Movie Spare Parts Gwen Kolinsky 2015-01-16
Movie Trainwreck The Dog Owner 2015-07-17
Movie Love the Coopers Emma Newport 2015-11-12
Movie Loitering with Intent Gigi 2014-04-18
Movie The Rewrite Holly Carpenter 2014-06-15
Movie Love Is Strange Kate 2014-08-22
Movie She Said, She Said Marishka 2013-03-08
Movie Love, Marilyn Self 2013-05-30
Movie Inescapable Fatima 2012-09-14
Movie Parental Guidance Alice Simmons 2012-12-25
Movie Lady Gaga Presents: The Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden Self (uncredited) 2011-05-07
Movie The Lincoln Lawyer Maggie McPherson 2011-03-17
Movie Crazy, Stupid, Love. Kate 2011-07-29
Movie Salvation Boulevard Honey Foster 2011-07-15
Movie The Ides of March Ida Horowicz 2011-09-24
Movie Cyrus Molly Fawcett 2010-06-18
Movie We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial Self 2009-01-18
Movie The People Speak Self 2009-12-13
Movie Amsterdam Donna 2009-05-10
Movie Directed by Sidney Lumet: How the Devil Was Made Self 2008-04-15
Movie The Wrestler Cassidy 2008-09-07
Movie War, Inc. Natalie Hegalhuzen 2008-04-28
Movie Wild Hogs Maggie 2007-03-02
Movie Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Gina Hanson 2007-09-26
Movie Grace Is Gone Woman at Pool 2007-12-07
Movie Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School Meredith Morrison 2006-01-12
Movie Danika Danika Merrick 2006-06-10
Movie Factotum Laura 2005-04-25
Movie Loverboy Sybil 2005-01-24
Movie Cabin Fever: Beneath the Skin Herself - Guest (uncredited) 2004-01-20
Movie Alfie Julie 2004-10-22
Series Rescue Me Unknown 2004-07-21
Movie Anger Management Linda 2003-04-11
Movie What I Want My Words to Do to You Self 2003-12-16
Movie Just a Kiss Paula 2002-06-15
Movie The Guru Lexi 2002-08-21
Movie The Wild Thornberrys Movie Bree Blackburn (voice) 2002-12-20
Movie Jenifer Nina Capelli 2001-10-21
Movie Someone Like You... Liz 2001-03-30
Movie In the Bedroom Natalie Strout 2001-11-23
Movie Dirk and Betty Paris 2000-01-01
Movie Happy Accidents Ruby Weaver 2000-01-25
Movie The Watcher Dr. Polly Beilman 2000-09-08
Movie What Women Want Lola 2000-12-15
Movie King of the Jungle Det. Costello 2000-10-12
Movie Only Love Evie 1998-05-10
Movie Since You've Been Gone Tori (uncredited) 1998-06-06
Movie Slums of Beverly Hills Rita Abromowitz 1998-08-14
Movie My Own Country Mattie Vines 1998-07-12
Movie A Brother's Kiss Missy 1997-04-25
Movie Welcome to Sarajevo Nina 1997-05-09
Series The View Unknown 1997-08-11
Movie Sex, Censorship and the Silver Screen Quote Reader 1996-01-01
Series The Daily Show Unknown 1996-07-22
Movie Unhook the Stars Monica 1996-09-04
Movie The Perez Family Dorita Evita Perez 1995-05-12
Movie Four Rooms Margaret 1995-12-09
Movie The Paper Martha Hackett 1994-03-18
Movie Only You Faith Corvatch 1994-03-04
Movie Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! Self (archive footage) 1994-05-18
Movie Untamed Heart Caroline 1993-02-12
Series Late Night with Conan O'Brien Unknown 1993-09-13
Movie My Cousin Vinny Mona Lisa Vito 1992-03-13
Series The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Unknown 1992-05-25
Movie Chaplin Mabel Normand 1992-12-17
Movie Equinox Rosie Rivers 1992-09-18
Movie Oscar Lisa Provolone, Angelo's daughter 1991-04-26
Movie Zandalee Remy 1991-05-09
Movie Parker Kane April Haynes 1990-08-05
Series Seinfeld Unknown 1989-07-05
Series The Simpsons Unknown 1989-12-17
Series LIVE with Kelly and Mark Unknown 1988-09-05
Movie Supermom's Daughter Noelle Crandall 1987-02-18
Series A Different World Maggie Lauten 1987-09-24
Series Leg Work Donna Ricci 1987-10-03
Movie Playing for Keeps Tracy 1986-10-03
Movie The Toxic Avenger Health Club Girl (uncredited) 1984-05-15
Movie The Flamingo Kid Mandy 1984-12-21
Series Late Night with David Letterman Unknown 1982-02-01
Series Saturday Night Live Unknown 1975-10-11
Series The Oscars Unknown 1953-03-19