Marisa Tomei (b. 1964) is an Academy Award-winning actress from Brooklyn. Tomei was the surprise Best Supporting Actress winner in 1993 for My Cousin Vinny (with Joe Pesci and Austin Pendleton) and was nominated in the same category again for In the Bedroom and The Wrestler.
Tomei began her career on the soap opera As The World Turns, eventually moving to prime-time on The Cosby Show spin-off A Different World (with Lisa Bonet). Tomei then turned to movie roles in such films as Richard Attenborough's Chaplin (with Robert Downey Jr.), Wild Hogs (with John Travolta), and What Women Want (with Mel Gibson).
She appeared in a sketch (First: Episode 3233) on Sesame Street with Joey and Davey Monkey in which she tells the story of "The Monkey King" (no relation), who Joey and Davey say looks like their cousin Vinny (referencing Tomei's most popular film). In the story, she also plays the part of a waitress who is persuaded to kiss The Monkey King, which turns him into The Banana King. He is the owner of the restaurant establishment of the same name which takes its play on words from the fast food franchise Burger King. A portion of this segment appeared in Stars and Street Forever.
In another Sesame Street segment, Tomei meets Big Bird at his nest to recite the alphabet with him. She also appeared in the celebrity version of "A New Way to Walk."
Tomei was one of many actresses to audition for the role of Sarah in Labyrinth.[1]