Marisa Tomei

A feisty brunette who has enjoyed a roller-coaster career, Tomei started out on soaps before jumping to prime time as a regular on the sitcom A Different World. Her breakthrough role as a marriage-minded tough cookie in 1992's My Cousin Vinny showcased her comedic talents and Brooklyn accent, and snagged her an Academy Award as best supporting actress. However, there was a downside to her victory. Not only did she fail to live up to her promise in her subsequent projects (Untamed Heart, The Perez Family), rumors circulated that she hadn't actually won the Oscar and that presenter Jack Palance had read the wrong name — either by mistake or as a joke. (PricewaterhouseCoopers, the firm that handles the balloting process, said that she legitimately won.) In an effort to be taken more seriously, Tomei smartly switched her focus to indie films, earning a second Oscar nod (and Hollywood credibility) for her work in the harrowing 2001 drama In the Bedroom. Supporting roles in mainstream pictures followed (Anger Management, Alfie), as did a handful of plum stage roles, notably her 2003 pairing opposite acting great Al Pacino in Salome on Broadway.