March 1992 marked the release of My Cousin Vinny, a Jonathan Lynn comedy that many still consider one of the best of that decade. This Dale Launer and Paul Schiff production stars Joe Pesci and follows Bill and Stan, two college students from New York City who find themselves on a road trip through Alabama. Along the way, they happen to stop at a store where, as they are leaving, someone murders the store clerk.
Due to a string of mix-ups, both young men are charged with the crime and brought to trial, and since they have no money to pay for a lawyer, Bill's cousin Vinny steps in to help them along with his fiancée Mona Lisa. As much as this may seem like a lifesaver for both of them, it also brings with it a few problems: Vinny has just graduated from law school after many unsuccessful attempts and has never won a case. Moreover, his outspoken personality makes him very much at odds with the townspeople, something that does nothing to help him get the case back on track.
Dale Launer wrote this production inspired by the real-life case of a student who needed 13 attempts to pass the bar exam in order to become a lawyer. My Cousin Vinny performed surprisingly well at the box office and earned rave reviews from critics, even landing some major accolades. The actors who were cast in this production, many of whom were already well-known stars at the time, went on to play roles in different film and TV projects, and still do to this day. This is what they are doing now.
Joe Pesci
Joe Pesci stars in this 1992 film as the hilarious Vinny Gambini, the underdog lawyer who ends up proving to everyone, including himself, that he has what it takes to win his cousin's case. By the time he was cast as the lead in this production, Pesci was very well known in the industry. His performance in the crime film The Death Collector got the attention of Martin Scorsese, who cast him in Raging Bull and subsequently called him back for Goodfellas and Casino. His role in My Cousin Vinny is not the only comic part in his career: the actor is also known for his parts in other genre blockbusters, most notably in Home Alone and its sequel.
In 1999, Pesci decided to quit acting and focus on a music career and a life away from the film industry. However, over the years he returned to the silver screen for a few projects, such as the films The Good Shepherd and Love Ranch. But his most popular movie of recent times is certainly the one that reunited him with Scorsese, the 2019 film The Irishman, in which he co-starred alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. In the near future, he is expected to star in Day of the Fight, a film that will mark Jack Huston's directorial debut.
Ralph Macchio
In My Cousin Vinny, Ralph Macchio plays Bill Gambini, the young man accused of murder who, in spite of his doubts, was confident that his cousin could win the case. And although Macchio has worked on several projects throughout his career, his most popular one is, hands down, the Karate Kid film series, where he played Daniel LaRusso in the original 1984 film and two sequels.
Over the years, Macchio went on to land roles in several films and TV series, such as Ugly Betty, Psych and The Deuce, although his appearances diminished in recent years. Such was the case until 2018, the year in which he stepped back into his most popular role in the show Cobra Kai, which serves as a sequel to the Karate Kid films. Cobra Kai has now been on the air for five seasons, and was renewed for a sixth and final one earlier this year.
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei had already been performing for a few years when she joined the cast of My Cousin Vinny to play Mona Lisa Vito. However, her role in this comedy was the one that earned her critical acclaim, consecrating her as the production's most-awarded performer and landing her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. After winning the award, Tomei landed roles in productions of all kinds, such as the films Chaplin, Crazy, Stupid, Love, and In the Bedroom. She also guest-starred in TV series, most notably Rescue Me, Empire, and The Handmaid's Tale.
In recent years, Tomei joined the MCU to play Aunt May in Tom Holland's Spider-Man movies, which earned her widespread popularity among new audiences. The actress remains very active in the industry to this day: earlier this year she co-starred in Rebecca Miller's romantic comedy She Came to Me alongside Peter Dinklage, and she is also expected to star in the upcoming film Upgraded, which still has no release date.
Mitchell Whitfield
Mitchell Whitfield plays Stan, the other college student charged with the store clerk's crime. And although My Cousin Vinny is one of the most popular films in the actor's career, Whitfield is also widely known for his role as Barry Farber, the man that Rachel Green abandons at the altar in the popular sitcom Friends.
Although Whitfield remained active in the industry after taking part in these productions, he gradually decreased his appearances over the years. The last time he was spotted on the silver screen was in Tiziano Sclavi's 2011 film Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, a production that became a box office bomb with poor reviews. His most recent parts on TV, on the other hand, involved voice roles in animated kids' productions, such as Sofia the First, Vampirina, and Goldie & Bear.
Fred Gwynne
Fred Gwynne was able to excel not only in films, television and theater, but also as a writer, singer, painter and even children's book illustrator. Although his portfolio comprises a huge number of productions across all genres, the two that made him so popular were the 1960s sitcoms The Munsters and Car 54, Where Are You?. Decades later, Fred shined in films such as The Boy Who Could Fly, Pet Sematary, and Fatal Attraction, among many others.
In My Cousin Vinny, Gwynne played Judge Chamberlain Haller, the man in charge of Bill and Stan's case, and a constant pain in the neck for Vinny. This role became the final one in the actor's career as, one year after the premiere of the film, he passed away due to complications with pancreatic cancer.
Austin Pendleton
Austin Pendleton's role in My Cousin Vinny is quite small, but he manages to steal the spotlight in his limited screen time. He plays John Gibbons, the skittish public defender Stan relies on for the trial after growing tired of Vinny. Pendleton boasts a very extensive career in the industry, and over the years portrayed characters in all kinds of productions. Furthermore, his work as stage director has earned him enormous recognition and many accolades.
Despite the fact that he has been working in the entertainment industry for over 60 years, Austin continues to work on different projects to this day. Last year, besides serving as director in the Broadway play Between Riverside and Crazy, he was cast in 5-25-77, a Patrick Read Johnson film starring John Francis Daley. The last time he was seen on TV was in 2021, when he guest-starred in the legal drama show The Good Fight.
Bruce McGill
In this 1992 film Bruce McGill plays Sheriff Dean Farley, although this is not the only film in which the actor has portrayed an authority figure: he has played this kind of role on many occasions, in movies such as Cliffhanger, The Insider, and Collateral, among many others. Ever since his acting debut in the 1977 comedy Handle with Care, McGill has remained active in the industry as part of many projects, although in recent years he has enjoyed greater success in television.
One of his most recent productions is Reacher, the Prime Video series inspired by Lee Child's books, which has already been renewed for a second season. In addition, McGill was also featured as a cast member in Love & Death, Max's miniseries inspired by Candy Montgomery's story.
Raynor Scheine
Raynor Scheine took his first steps in the industry back in the 1970s in Something Short on Paradise, a romantic comedy by David Helpern starring Susan Sarandon and David Steinberg. From then on, the actor has been involved in all sorts of film, television and stage productions. However, over the years his performances in the industry became less frequent, and in fact, his most recent credits date back to the early 2010s, when he was spotted in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln and in N.Y.C. Underground. In My Cousin Vinny, Scheine plays a small role as Ernie Crane.
Lane Smith
Before playing district attorney Jim Trotter III in My Cousin Vinny, Lane Smith had already won critical acclaim for his performance as Richard Nixon in the 1989 film The Final Days, a production that earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination. After these roles, Smith went on to land parts in other projects that also ranked among his most popular ones, such as Perry White in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, a role he played for four seasons until 1997.
In the mid-2000s, Smith was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that eventually led to his death in 2005. His final roles were in the film The Legend of Bagger Vance, starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Matt Damon, and the Showtime miniseries Out of Order.
Chris Ellis
Rounding out this list is Chris Ellis, who plays J.T., a townsman who gets into an argument with Vinny and his fiancée after swindling the woman. The actor took his first steps in the industry many years before joining this production, although he had his big break with the 1990 film Days of Thunder. Over the years, Ellis appeared in some major projects, such as the film Addams Family Values and the TV series Melrose Place.
However, he has not been as involved in productions lately as he used to be. The latest film in his portfolio to date is the 2019 thriller Silo, directed by Marshall Burnette, and he was last seen on screen as a guest star in the Fox TV series 9-1-1: Lone Star.