Toni Collette, born Antonia Collett on November 1, 1972, in Blacktown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is a celebrated Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter.
Raised in a working-class family, her father, Bob Collett, worked as a truck driver, while her mother, Judith Collett (née Cook), was a customer service representative.
Collette’s passion for performing arts emerged early, leading her to pursue acting through the Australian Theatre for Young People at age 16 and briefly attend the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) before leaving to take on professional roles.
Her ability to inhabit diverse characters, from comedic to deeply dramatic, has made her a respected figure in the entertainment industry.
Siblings
Toni is the eldest of three siblings, with two younger brothers, namely Ben and Christopher Collette.
Growing up in the Sydney suburb of Blacktown until the age of six, before moving to Glebe, Collette shared an energetic childhood with her brothers, engaging in activities like tree climbing, bike riding, and playing basketball, which she described as a tomboyish, quintessential Australian upbringing.
An intriguing aspect of her family history surfaced on the television show Who Do You Think You Are? (2008), where Collette discovered that her biological paternal grandfather was likely an American serviceman, suggesting her father, Bob Collett, was not biologically related to her legal grandfather, Harold Stanley Collett.
Career
Collette’s career began with her film debut in the 1992 comedy Spotswood, alongside Anthony Hopkins and Russell Crowe, but her breakthrough came with the 1994 film Muriel’s Wedding.
Playing the socially awkward, ABBA-obsessed Muriel Heslop, Collette gained international acclaim, earning an Australian Film Institute (AACTA) Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe nomination.
To prepare for the role, she gained 42 pounds, showcasing her commitment to physical transformation.
This role paved the way for a diverse filmography, including Emma (1996), where she played the impressionable Harriet Smith, and Velvet Goldmine (1998), where she portrayed a glam-rock enthusiast.
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Her role as Lynn Sear, the distressed mother in The Sixth Sense (1999), earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, cementing her Hollywood presence.
Collette continued to excel in films like About a Boy (2002), where she played a suicidal hippie mom, and The Hours (2002), alongside Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman.
Her lead role as Sandy Edwards in Japanese Story (2003) won her critical praise and another AACTA Award, with critics lauding her emotional depth in the romantic drama set in the Australian outback.
Other notable films include In Her Shoes (2005), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), where she played the matriarch of a dysfunctional family, The Way, Way Back (2013), Knives Out (2019), and Hereditary (2018), where her portrayal of a grieving mother was described as a career-defining performance.
On television, Collette starred as Tara Gregson in United States of Tara (2008–2011), portraying a woman with dissociative identity disorder, a role that highlighted her ability to navigate complex characters.
She also earned praise for her work in the Netflix miniseries Unbelievable (2019) and The Staircase (2022).
Her stage career includes a Broadway debut in The Wild Party (2000), where she played Queenie, a vaudeville performer, and a return in The Realistic Joneses (2014).
Beyond acting, Collette is a musician, having fronted the band Toni Collette & the Finish, releasing the album Beautiful Awkward Pictures in 2006, and co-founded the film production company Vocab Films in 2017.
Accolades
Collette has won five AACTA Awards from eight nominations, including Best Actress for Muriel’s Wedding (1994) and Japanese Story (2003), and Best Supporting Actress for Lilian’s Story (1996) and The Boys (1998).
Her role in United States of Tara earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2009 and a Golden Globe Award in the same category in 2010, with additional nominations for both awards.
Collette received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for The Sixth Sense (1999) and two BAFTA Award nominations for About a Boy (2002) and Little Miss Sunshine (2006).
Her Broadway performance in The Wild Party (2000) garnered a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical, and she received a Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble for The Realistic Joneses (2014).
Additional honors include a Screen Actors Guild Award from four nominations, an Irish Film and Television Award for Glassland (2015), and ensemble awards for The Way, Way Back (2013).
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