An American stage, film and television actress. Following her work on As The World Turns, she came to prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World in 1987. After appearing in a few films, her breakthrough came in 1992 with the comedy My Cousin Vinny, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Following other films, she appeared in the cult film, Slums of Beverly Hills in 1998. Appearing in many films in the past 15 years, her most commercially successful films to date are What Women Want (2000), Anger Management (2003) and Wild Hogs (2007). She received critical acclaim for her performances in In the Bedroom (2001) and The Wrestler (2008).