Marisa Tomei facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marisa Tomei
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Tomei at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival
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| Born | December 4, 1964 New York City, U.S.
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| Education | Boston University |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1983–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Partner(s) | Logan Marshall-Green (2008–2012) |
| Awards | Full list |
Marisa Tomei (pronounced toh-MAY; born December 4, 1964) is an American actress. She became well-known for her funny role in the movie My Cousin Vinny (1992). This role earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was also nominated for the same award for her work in In the Bedroom (2001) and The Wrestler (2008).
Marisa Tomei started her acting career in the soap opera As the World Turns (1983–1985). She also appeared in the first season of the TV show A Different World (1987). Her other famous movies include Chaplin (1992), What Women Want (2000), The Big Short (2015), and The King of Staten Island (2020). Many people know her as May Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She played Aunt May in movies like Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
Tomei is also a talented stage actress. She was a founding member of the Naked Angels Theater Company. She made her Broadway debut in Wait Until Dark in 1998. She has received awards and nominations for her theater work, including for Top Girls (2008) and The Realistic Joneses (2014).
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Early life and beginnings
Marisa Tomei was born on December 4, 1964, in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother, Adelaide, was an English teacher, and her father, Gary, was a lawyer. She has a younger brother, Adam Tomei, who is also an actor. Her parents are both of Italian descent. Her family's ancestors came from different parts of Italy, including Tuscany, Calabria, Campania, and Sicily.
Marisa grew up in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn. Her parents loved theater and often took her to see Broadway shows. This made her want to become an actress. In junior high, she acted in a school play called How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. She also took dance classes. After finishing Edward R. Murrow High School in 1982, she attended Boston University for one year.
Career highlights
Early acting roles (1983–1991)
After her time on As the World Turns, Marisa Tomei got a main role in the sitcom A Different World in 1987. Her very first movie role was a small part in the 1984 comedy The Flamingo Kid. She played a waitress and had only one line. In 1986, she had a small role in the movie Playing for Keeps.
Tomei made her stage debut in 1987 in an off-Broadway play called Daughters. She played a character named Cetta. Her performance received great reviews, and she won the Theatre World Award for her outstanding first stage role. She continued to act in other off-Broadway plays like Beirut (1987) and What the Butler Saw (1989). She also appeared in The Rose Tattoo at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. In 1991, she had a bigger role alongside Sylvester Stallone in the comedy movie Oscar.
Breakthrough and Oscar win (1992–1999)
Marisa Tomei became internationally famous with her funny performance in the 1992 movie My Cousin Vinny. She starred opposite Joe Pesci. Critics loved her in the film. One critic, Vincent Canby, said she was a "fine comedian." For her role, Tomei won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 65th Academy Awards in 1993. She won against other famous actresses like Miranda Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave.
After her Oscar win, Tomei played the silent film star Mabel Normand in the movie Chaplin. Her boyfriend at the time, Robert Downey Jr., played Charlie Chaplin in the film. The next year, she starred in the romantic drama Untamed Heart with Christian Slater. They even won an MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss for their scene! Tomei had won an MTV Movie Award the year before for Best Breakthrough Performance for My Cousin Vinny.
In 1994, Tomei played a pregnant journalist in the comedy-drama The Paper. She also appeared with Robert Downey Jr. again in the romantic comedy Only You. She later starred in Unhook the Stars, which earned her a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 1998, she was nominated for an American Comedy Award for her role in the movie Slums of Beverly Hills. Critics praised her performance in this film.
During the 1990s, Tomei also made several TV appearances. In 1996, she played herself in an episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. She also voiced a character named Sara Sloane in an episode of The Simpsons. In 1998, Marisa Tomei made her Broadway debut in the play Wait Until Dark. She acted opposite Quentin Tarantino in the show.
Becoming an established actress (2000–2009)
In 2000, Marisa Tomei appeared in the comedy What Women Want, starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. This movie was a big success. She also had a supporting role in the romantic comedy Someone Like You.
In 2001, she starred in the drama film In the Bedroom. This movie was nominated for Best Picture. Tomei herself received many awards for her role, including a ShoWest Award for Best Supporting Actress. Critics said it was one of her best and most natural performances. In the Bedroom earned Tomei her second Academy Award nomination and her first Golden Globe Award nomination. She also shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination with the rest of the cast.
In 2002, she appeared in the movie The Guru and lent her voice to the animated film The Wild Thornberrys Movie. In 2003, Tomei was in one of her biggest comedy hits, Anger Management, with Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler. The next year, she appeared in Alfie with Jude Law.
From 2006, Tomei had a recurring role in the TV series Rescue Me. She played Johnny Gavin's ex-wife, Angie. She won a Gracie Allen Award for her work in the show. In 2007, she appeared in the comedy Wild Hogs, which was one of the highest-grossing movies of that year. She also starred in the drama films Grace is Gone and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. In 2009, Tomei recorded the voice of Mary Magdalene for an audio Bible production.
Recent roles (2010–present)
In 2010, Marisa Tomei appeared in Cyrus, a comedy-drama film. She also hosted the 2011 Scientific and Technical Awards. She starred in the mystery film The Lincoln Lawyer and appeared in Salvation Boulevard. Her other movies in 2011 included Crazy, Stupid, Love and The Ides of March with George Clooney.
In 2012, Tomei was featured in the TV show Who Do You Think You Are?. In this episode, she traveled to Italy to learn about her family history. In 2014, she played a single mom going back to school in the movie The Rewrite with Hugh Grant. She also starred in the drama Love Is Strange and appeared on Broadway in the play The Realistic Joneses.
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During this time, Marisa Tomei became well-known for playing Aunt May in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She appeared in several Spider-Man related movies: Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
She also took roles in the crime drama The Big Short (2015), the horror film The First Purge (2018), and the comedy-drama The King of Staten Island (2020). Tomei returned to Broadway in a new production of The Rose Tattoo in 2019. In 2018, she had a guest role in the TV series The Handmaid's Tale. She also played Edith Bunker in special live TV shows of All in the Family in 2019 and 2020. In 2023, she starred in the romantic comedy She Came to Me and the movie Upgraded.
Personal life
Between 2008 and 2012, Marisa Tomei was in a relationship with actor Logan Marshall-Green. There were rumors that they were engaged, but her representative said this was not true. Marisa Tomei has never been married.
Tomei supports voting and has encouraged people to get help with voter ID through an organization called VoteRiders. She has also appeared on TV shows like Who Do You Think You Are? and Finding Your Roots to learn about her family history. On Finding Your Roots, she discovered that she is a cousin of actress Julianne Moore.
Awards and recognition
Marisa Tomei won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her funny role in My Cousin Vinny (1992). She was also nominated for an Oscar for her roles in In the Bedroom (2001) and The Wrestler (2008). She has also received nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, an Independent Spirit Award, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Images for kids
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Tomei at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival
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Tomei at the premiere of War, Inc. (2008) at the Tribeca Film Festival
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Tomei at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009
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Tomei attending the premiere of Inescapable at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival
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Tomei at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018
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Tomei at the first inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009
See also
In Spanish: Marisa Tomei para niños
