My Cousin Vinny hit theaters in March 1992 and was a box office hit
NEED TO KNOW
The legal dramedy stars Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio and Marisa Tomei
Tomei won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1993 for her performance as Mona Lisa Vito
It's been more than three decades since we met the "two yutes" and their family inMy Cousin Vinny!
The beloved fish-out-of-water comedy was released on March 13, 1992. The film follows the perpetually anxious Vinny Gambini (Joe Pesci), a green lawyer from New York who has never won a case, as he helps his cousin Bill Gambini (Ralph Macchio) and Bill's friend Stan Rothenstein (Mitchell Whitfield) when they're put on trial after being accused of murder in a small Alabama town.
My Cousin Vinnywas a massive box office hit, earning $7.4 million in its first weekend,according to Box Office Mojo, and made a star out ofMarisa Tomei. Her breakout role came in the film as Vinny's fiancée Mona Lisa Vito, and it earned her Best Supporting Actress at the 1993Academy Awards.
Macchio has tossed around the idea of aMy Cousin Vinnyreboot, telling PEOPLE in March 2025, "Yeah, I've had conversations with other writers about that. ...that one's a beloved piece. It's about finding the smart angle in."
See what the cast has been up to in the years since the endlessly quotableMy Cousin Vinnypremiered.
Joe Pesci as Vincent "Vinny" Gambini
Pesci played the titular character Vinny, and his career was at a career high when he took onMy Cousin Vinny. He had just filmed 1990'sHome Aloneand won an Oscar in 1991 for his role as Tommy DeVito inMartin Scorsese'sGoodfellas.
The actor worked consistently throughout the '90s before semi-retiring, appearing in a few roles inHome AloneandLethal Weaponsequels and films likeCasino(1995) andGone Fishin'(1997).He returned to acting in 2019, reuniting with Scorsese andRobert De NiroinThe Irishman,which scored Pesci an Oscar nomination in 2020.
Pesci leveraged hisVinnyfame into music, releasing the 1998 albumVincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for Youand a 2019 jazz album featuringAdam Levine.
In recent years, Pesci joined the cast of Peacock's 2022 live-action comedy seriesBupkis,costarringPete DavidsonandEdie Falco, and appeared in 2023'sDay of the Fight.
The New Jersey native has been married three times. He shares one adult child, daughter Tiffany Pesci, with ex-wife Claudia Haro.
Marissa Tomei as Mona Lisa Vito
Tomei's portrayal of Vinny's fiancée and clutch car expert Mona Lisa Vito earned her Best Supporting Actress at the 1993 Academy Awards.
She has continued to dazzle audiences, receiving two more Oscar nominations for 2002'sIn the Bedroomand 2009'sThe Wrestler. Tomei also starred in cult classic films in the late '90s and 2000s, includingSlums of Beverly Hills(1998) andBefore the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007).
The Brooklyn nativetold NPR'sFresh Airin June 2010 that she deliberately steered clear of comedies afterMy Cousin Vinny.
"I knew that I was most interested in a variety of characters," she said. "It wasn't in contrast to, 'Oh, I don't want to play this, because I want to get away from this image.' It was more: What else is out there? I'm curious."
Tomei became a fixture in theMarvel universe, playing May Parker in theSpider-Manfranchise,Captain America: Civil War(2016) andAvengers: End Game(2019). Tomei also starred in Davidson'sThe King of Staten Island(2020),playing his character's mother, Margie Carlin.
She's since appeared inShe Came to Me(2023) alongsideAnne HathawayandPeter Dinklage,Upgraded(2023),High Tide(2024),You're Dating a Narcissist! (2025) andF--- Valentine's Day(2026).
Ralph Macchio as Bill Gambini
Macchio was already known forThe Karate Kidfranchise when he portrayed Bill Gambini — green lawyer Vinny's teenage cousin who was accused of murder — and he continued to have a diverse acting career afterMy Cousin Vinny.
In 2011, Macchio placed fourth on season 12 ofDancing with the Stars. He alsoreprised his role as Daniel LaRussoon theKarate KidspinoffCobra Kai, starring on all six seasons of the Netflix series from 2018 to 2025 and earning anEmmynomination in 2021. Hebrought the character backin 2025'sKarate Kid: Legends.
In addition to appearances on shows likeUgly BettyandThe Deuce, theformer child actorhas remained a fixture in the pop culture conversation. In 2022, he released his memoirWaxing On: The Karate Kid and Me.
Macchio has two children,daughter Julia and son Daniel, with his wife of almost 40 years,Phyllis Fierro.
Mitchell Whitfield as Stan Rothenstein
Whitfield's performance as Bill's buddy and co-defendant Stan Rothenstein was only the beginning of a decades-long screen and voice-acting career.
Aside from portraying cheating orthodontist Barry Farber, the ex ofJennifer Aniston's Rachel onFriends, Whitfeld has booked roles on shows likeCurb Your EnthusiasmandCSI: Miamiand landed voice acting gigs in the video gamesLego Jurassic WorldandTMNT.He also appeared in 1997'sBest MenalongsideDean Cain,Drew BarrymoreandLuke Wilson.
He has provided the voice of several characters on multiple animated series in the 2010s and 2020s, includingTransformers: Robots in Disguise,Goldie and Bear,VampirinaandRobogobo.
Advertisement
Whitfield is married to Tracy Lynn Ethington, with whom he shares two children.
Fred Gwynne as Judge Chamberlain Haller
Fred Gwynne had already leveraged his imposing 6-foot, 5-inch stature and expressive face to achieve an impressive resume before he took on his last role: Judge Chamberlain Haller inMy Cousin Vinny.
The actor enjoyed a nearly four-decade-long career before he died from pancreatic cancer in July 1993 at age 66,according toThe New York Times. Perhaps most famously, Gwynne played the lumbering, lovable monster patriarch Herman Munster on CBS'The Munstersfrom 1964 to 1966.
Austin Pendleton as John Gibbons
Since playing the stuttering defense attorney John Gibbons, Austin Pendleton has acted in over 150 films and TV shows combined. Fans may recognize him from HBO'sOzand USA'sHomicide: Life on the Street, and he's also appeared in movies likeGuarding Tess(1994),Amistad(1997),A Beautiful Mind(2001),Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps(2010),Ball and Vase(2022),Magic Hour(2025) andThe Pitchfork Retreat(2025).
A member of the Steppenwolf Theater company, Pendleton is committed to the stage. In 2009, he directed a production ofUncle Vanya, costarringMaggie GyllenhaalandPeter Sarsgaard. In more recent years, he starred in the playThe Minutes, which moved to Broadway in 2022, and led a meta Off-Broadway production ofMidsummer Night's Dreamin 2025.
Pendleton has been married to Katina Commings since 1970, with whom he shares one child.
Lane Smith as Jim Trotter III
Lane Smith was equal parts charming and smarmy as prosecutor Jim Trotter III.
TheGolden Globe-nominated actor appeared on the showsLois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,From the Earth to the MoonandOut of Order.His film credits followingMy Cousin VinnyincludeThe Distinguished Gentlemen(1992),Son in Law(1993) andThe Legend of Bagger Vance(2000).
Smith was married to Debbie Benedict Smith, with whom he shared two children. He died from Lou Gehrig's disease at the age of 69 in June 2005,according to theLos Angeles Times.
Bruce McGill as Sheriff Farley
Bruce McGill played the day-saving Sheriff Farley, who helped to secure freedom for Bill and Stan.
Since portraying the law enforcer, McGill has starred in three of director Michael Mann's films, includingThe Insider(1999),Ali(2001) andCollateral(2004) was cast as a crucial member of two presidents' administrations in 2008'sW.and 2012'sLincoln. He also starred on TNT'sRizzoli & Isles.
His most recent roles have included parts on Amazon Prime Video'sReacher, based on Lee Child's book series, HBO Max'sLove & Deathand Paramount+'sLioness, and in films like 2025'sBlack Zone.
McGill has been married to Gloria Lee since 1994.
Maury Chaykin as Sam Tipton
As self-respecting Southerner Sam Tipton, Maury Chaykin continued his career as a character actor in TV movies and films, including 1993'sBeethoven's 2ndand 1999'sEntrapment. He also had a two-season run as detective Nero Wolfe on the A&E adaptationA Nero Wolfe Mystery.
Chaykin died in July 2010 due to complications from a heart valve infection,perThe New York Times.
Raynor Scheine as Ernie Crane
Raynor Scheine portrayed eyewitness Ernie Crane, who lived in a trailer adjacent to the Sac-O-Suds, where the robbery and murder inMy Cousin Vinnytook place.
He remained a Hollywood mainstay following his appearance inMy Cousin Vinny, with roles inAce Ventura: Pet Detective(1994),The Quick and the Dead(1995) andThe Rookie(2002), as well as the Oscar-winningTransamerica(2005) andLincoln(2012).
Scheine's last film credit was 2024'sHorizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1.
Paulene Myers as Constance Riley
The role of well-meaning, near-sighted witness Constance Riley was Paulene Myers' final role before her death in December 1996 at the age of 83.
BeforeMy Cousin Vinny, she enjoyed a fruitful career onstage and on the big screen in 1972'sLady Sings the Bluesand 1973'sThe Sting. She also appeared on TV on shows likeThe Jeffersons,Good TimesandDays of Our Lives,among many others.
Read the original article onPeople
My Cousin Vinny hit theaters in March 1992 and was a box office hit NEED TO KNOW The legal dramedy stars Jo...
