Marisa Tomei

 "I think the fantasy of being a movie star is more powerful than the reality. So, for me, even if it's not a great film or a great play I'm doing, to know that you went for it. You had an experience that made you grow artistically and personally. What's really satisfying is knowing that you did a good job."

As a child, Marisa Tomei's mother, an English teacher, 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." 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."

Three years later, Marisa became known for her role as Maggie Lawton, Lisa Bonet's college roommate, on the sitcom "A Different World." 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.

Shortly after Tomei's Academy Award win, 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; Tomei called the story "extremely hurtful." This is a highly unlikely occurrence--the Academy specifically has two officials stationed offstage to intervene and read out the correct name if such an event should ever transpire (see 2017, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, "Moonlight" (2016) vs. "La La Land" (2016)).

"When I was first starting, I went to an agent who told me, 'Listen, you'll be lucky if you do summer stock. Pack it up.' Once in a while I think about him, but I'm happy with myself. So, what does he matter?"

Happy Birthday, Marisa Tomei!