Marisa Tomei Trivia: 33 facts you didn’t know about the actress!

Marisa Tomei  born December 4, 1964 is an American actress. Let’s see some amazing facts and trivia about her!

1.Tomei was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Patricia Adelaide “Addie” Tomei (maiden name, Bianchi), an English teacher, and Gary A. Tomei, a trial lawyer.

2.She has a younger brother, actor Adam Tomei, and was partly raised by her paternal grandparents.

3. Tomei’s parents are both of Italian descent: her father is the son of Romeo Robert Tomei, of Tuscan origin from Lucca, and Rita Calvosa, of south Italian origin; while her mother is the daughter of Armando Bianchi, of Tuscan origin, and Maria D’Ignoti, of Sicilian origin.

4. Once worked as a waitress at Tony Romas for six weeks before her acting career took off.

5. She gratuated from Edward R. Murrow High School in 1982.

6. Her brother, Adam Tomei, and Darren Aronofsky also attended this high school.

7.  She attended Boston University for a year.

8. Marisa Tomei followed up As the World Turns in 1986 with a role on the sitcom A Different World as Maggie Lauten during the first season.

9. Her film debut was a minor role in the 1984 comedy film The Flamingo Kid, in which she played Mandy, a waitress. She only had one line in the entire film.

10. During this phase, she made her stage debut in 1987 at the age of 22 with the off-Broadway play Daughters, in which she played Cetta. The role earned her rave reviews and the Theatre World Award for outstanding debut on stage.

11. While portraying roommates on A Different World (1987), she and co-star Lisa Bonet were roommates in real life.

12. She joined audition for the role of Dorothy Boyd in “Jerry Maguire” (1996), but got beaten out by Renee Zellweger.

Read here some awesome facts about Renee Zellweger!

13. She was considered for the role of “Honey Bunny” in Pulp Fiction (1994). The role went to Amanda Plummer.

14. Following several small films, Tomei came to international prominence with her comedic performance in the 1992 film My Cousin Vinny,for which she received critical praise.

15. For her performance, Tomei was named Best Supporting Actress at the 1993 Academy Awards, prevailing over Miranda Richardson, Joan Plowright, Vanessa Redgrave and Judy Davis.

16. Marisa Tomei revealed to “Entertainment Tonight” before the 1993 Oscar ceremony that she feared she would trip on the steps on her way to the stage at the event. It later turned out that her fear became a reality.

17. She teamed up with Indian and Pakistani actresses to perform The Vagina Monologues on a stage in Bombay in their commemoration of Monday’s International Women’s Day.

18. After her Oscar win, Tomei appeared as silent film star Mabel Normand in the film Chaplin, with her then-boyfriend Robert Downey Jr. playing the title character.

19. During the 1990s, Tomei made several television appearances. In 1996, she made a guest appearance on the sitcom Seinfeld, playing herself in the two-part episode “The Cadillac”. In the episode, George Constanza attempts to get a date with her through a friend of Elaine Benes.

20. She also made an appearance on The Simpsons as movie star Sara Sloane, who falls in love with Ned Flanders.

21. Former Saturday Night Live cast member Jay Mohr wrote in his book Gasping for Airtime that, as guest host in October 1994, Tomei insisted that a proposed sketch, “Good Morning Brooklyn,” not be used because she did not like the idea of being stereotyped; that stand displeased the writers and performers, given the show’s penchant for satirizing celebrities.

22. In 2003, Tomei appeared in one of her biggest commercial hits, Anger Management.

23. In an interview, Lady Gaga stated that she would want Tomei to portray her in a film about the singer. Tomei responded, “I was thrilled when I heard. I love her. I love her music. And she’s an awesome businesswoman. So I was so touched, really. I think it’s incredible that she likes my work and that she’d think of me.”

Read here some awesome facts about Lady Gaga! 

24. Marisa Tomei was included in the Promising New Actors of 1991 list of John Willis’ Screen World.

25. She is a member of both Fisher Stevens’ Naked Angels Theater Company and Blue Light Theater Company in New York City.

26. Marisa Tomei sometimes travels using an Italian passport as admitted on “The Daily Show” since she actually has dual citizenship of American and Italian.

27. She has a tattoo on her right foot depicting the Egyptian Eye of Ra which is a symbol of protection, good luck, and abundance.

28. In the early 1990s, she had a relationship with Robert Downey Jr.

29. In 1999, she was with actor Dana Ashbrook and had a relationship with Frank Pugliese.

30. She (as of 2009) now dates actor Logan Marshall-Green, who is twelve years her junior.

31. She was one of People Magazine’s Most Beautiful People 2009.

32. She is the godmother of Zoë Kravitz, daughter of Marisa’s A Different World (1987) co-star Lisa Bonet.

33. Marisa Tomei practices Yoga, Tai Chi and bellydance.

Marisa Tomei is Aunt May at the movie “Captain America: Civil War”. Read here some fun facts about the movie!