Marisa Tomei wins Best Supporting Actress (1993)
Before My Cousin Vinny, Marisa Tomei was best known for her stint on the daytime soap As The World Turns and walk-on support roles in low-budget films like The Toxic Avenger. On this particular Oscar night, however, her portrayal of a brassy Bronx babe earned her filmdom’s highest honour, even up against such heady competition as Vanessa Redgrave in Howard’s End and Miranda Richardson in Damage. The public disbelief in Tomei’s win eventually morphed into a rumour that Oscar-presenter Jack Palance had actually read the wrong name, but they gave the award to Tomei anyway. Not true.