Photo: Elena Ternovaja / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Marisa Tomei is my favorite kind of actor: the one people keep underestimating and who keeps proving them wrong. Her Oscar for My Cousin Vinny was famously second-guessed, yet decades later that performance holds up as a masterclass in comic timing. Then came In the Bedroom and The Wrestler, where she showed a rawness few comedians ever attempt. What I admire most is her refusal to be filed into one drawer; stage, voice work, blockbusters, and indie dramas, she moves between them without vanity. Brooklyn grit plus Boston University training produced one of the most quietly durable careers in American film.
Overview
Marisa Tomei (, Italian: [toˈmɛi]; born December 4, 1964) is an American actress. She gained prominence for her comedic performance in My Cousin Vinny (1992), which earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She received further nominations in the category for In the Bedroom (2001) and The Wrestler (2008).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Marisa Tomei
- Name (Japanese)
- マリサ・トメイ
- Reading
- まりさ・とめい
- Born
- December 4, 1964 (age 61)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Dragon
- Origin
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film actor / voice actor / stage actor / television actor / film producer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Edward R. Murrow High School
- University
- Boston University College of Fine Arts
Awards & achievements
- 1993 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
- 1993 MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss
- 1993 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
- 2008 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
- 2008 Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
- 2008 Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
- 2008 San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
- 2008 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film actor — see all → · Voice actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.