Fox hit TV series, Empire, is bringing in Marisa Tomei to the list of cast members. The Oscar winner will play Mimi Whiteman, a venture capitalist who becomes involved in the Lyons' never-ending drama. The character is a Forbes list billionaire who loves hip hop, fashion and beautiful women, according to a description provided by Fox. Given the success of season 1 and its guest stars-most notably Courtney Love and Jennifer Hudson-Empire is going even bigger for its sophomore year.
So far, Chris Rock, Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz, and Adam Rodriguez are slated to appear in the 18-episode season. Although Tomei got her start on the TV soap opera As the World Turns and later on A Different World, her only recent TV gig was an arc on Rescue Me. An Oscar winner for her performance in My Cousin Vinny, Tomei's recent credits include Parental Guidance and Crazy, Stupid, Love. Tomei is repped by CAA and Jackoway Tyerman.
Marisa Tomei, born on December 4, 1964, is an American actress and film producer. In a career spanning three decades, Tomei had initial success in films as a young actress, followed by a series of unsuccessful films, then a resurgence with a series of critically acclaimed films. Following her work on the television series As the World Turns, she came to prominence as a cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff, A Different World, in 1987.
After having minor roles in a few films, she came to international attention in 1992 with the comedy, My Cousin Vinny, for which she received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has a younger brother, actor Adam Tomei, and was partly raised by her paternal grandparents, Rita and Romeo Tomei. Tomei's parents are both of Italian descent; her maternal grandmother is from Sicily, her maternal grandfather is from Tuscany, and her father is also of Tuscan descent.
