Concetta Tomei

Concetta Tomei (born December 30, 1945) is an American theatre, film and television character actress, best known for her roles as Major Lila Garreau on the ABC series China Beach (1988–1991) and as Lynda Hansen on the NBC series Providence (1999–2002). Early life and education Tomei was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She earned a degree in education from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and worked four years as a teacher before deciding to pursue her love of theatre at the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University). She earned a BFA and moved to Houston, Texas, where she worked for the Alley Theatre for two years before moving to New York City. In the Milwaukee area, she studied at Sunset Playhouse with Alan Furlan. She is not related to Marisa Tomei. Career Tomei appeared in the original cast of several pioneering Off-Broadway productions, including Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine and Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart. She appeared opposite Kevin Kline in the New York Shakespeare Festival's Richard III (winning New York's Bayfield Shakespearean award for her performance) and starred with David Bowie in the Broadway production of The Elephant Man, continuing in the national tour.