Toni Collette (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress. Primarily known for her portrayals of troubled and multi-faceted women, she is known for starring in primetime television, independent films and blockbusters. She has received various accolades including five AACTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards and a Tony Award.
Collette made her film debut in the 1992 film Spotswood. Her breakthrough came playing a socially awkward romantic lead in Muriel's Wedding (1994), which earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe for Best Actress. After appearing in Emma (1996) and Velvet Goldmine (1998), she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing a grieving mother in the thriller The Sixth Sense (1999). She was twice nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performances as troubled women in the romantic drama About a Boy (2002) and the tragicomedy Little Miss Sunshine (2006). She has also acted in The Hours (2002), Japanese Story (2003), In Her Shoes (2005), Mary and Max (2009), The Way, Way Back (2013), Hereditary (2018), Knives Out (2019), I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020), Nightmare Alley (2021), Juror No. 2 (2024), and Mickey 17 (2025).
On television, Collette starred as a suburban mother with dissociative identity disorder in the Showtime comedy-drama series United States of Tara (2008–2011), earning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She was later Emmy-nominated for playing a police detective in the Netflix miniseries Unbelievable (2019) and Kathleen Peterson in the Max miniseries The Staircase (2022). She starred as the founder of a reform academy for troubled teens in the Netflix limited series Wayward (2025). On stage, she made her Broadway debut playing a vaudeville dancer in the musical The Wild Party (2000), for which she earned a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical nomination. She returned to Broadway in the play The Realistic Joneses (2014).
As the lead singer of Toni Collette & the Finish, Collette wrote all 11 tracks of their sole album, Beautiful Awkward Pictures (2006). The band toured Australia but have not performed nor released any new material since 2007. She co-founded the film production company Vocab Films in 2017.
Early life and education
Collette is the eldest of three children, having two younger brothers. She was raised in the Sydney suburb of Glebe until the age of six, then in Blacktown, New South Wales. Her father, Bob Collett, was a truck driver, and her mother, Judith Ann "Judy" (née Cook) was a customer-service representative. Collette later learned on an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? that Bob was possibly born as a result of his mother Norma's (née McWhinney) having an extramarital affair with a US Navy chief petty officer stationed in Australia during and after World War II. Note: previously available in Australia. Norma and her husband (Harold "Stanley" Collett) were going through a divorce, and Bob's DNA test determined that Stanley was not his biological father. Despite a public appeal in August 2015, her biological grandfather's name is not known.
Collette has described her family as "[not] the most communicative" but has said that despite her parents' lack of money, they were supportive and made their children feel cared for. She has fond memories of growing up in Blacktown, where she and her mother watched Saturday afternoon movie matinees presented by Bill Collins. She described her younger self as having "crazy" amounts of confidence. When she was 11, she believed she had appendicitis and convinced her doctors: She was taken to an emergency department and had the appendix removed. As a student at Blacktown Girls High School, her favourite activities included netball, tap dancing and swimming, and she took part in local singing competitions. Her ambition was to perform in musicals, as she loved to sing and dance.
Collette's first acting role was a high school performance of Godspell at the age of 14; she auditioned by singing Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love for You". She decided to become an actor the following year, and was influenced by Geoffrey Rush's stage performance in The Diary of a Madman (July–August 1989). In 1989, with her parents' approval, she transferred to the Australian Theatre for Young People, later explaining, "I was 16. And it's not like I wasn't good at school, or I didn't enjoy it, I did. I just loved acting more. I don't regret that decision, but I can't believe I made it." The actor returned the extra "e" at the end of her surname which Stanley Collett had removed as it sounded better for a stage name. She started at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in early 1991, but left after 18 months to appear as Sonya in Uncle Vanya (August–September 1992), directed by Neil Armfield, alongside Rush in the title role.
Career 1990–1999: Early work and breakthrough In late 1988 Collette appeared in Burger Brain - The Fast Food Musical with The Sydney Morning Herald reviewer Bob Evans noting she "sings like a dream". She made her television debut in 1988 on a comedy, variety show Blah Blah Blah as a singer. Her first television acting role was in 1990, a guest appearance as Tracy, on the Seven Network drama series A Country Practice Season 10, Episode 31, "The Sting: Part 1". Her first professional theatre role was as Debbie in Operation Holy Mountain in May of that year at Q Theatre, Penrith. Frank Barnes of Journal of the N.S.W Public School Teachers Federation noticed, "Collette [is] simply amazing in her professional debut as the girl with cerebral palsy." She joined the Sydney Theatre Company and, from December 1990 to February 1991, appeared in A Little Night Music at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House. She performed Cordelia in King Lear (March 1994) and was also in stage productions at the Belvoir Street Theatre, directed by Rush.
In 1992, she made her feature film debut in the ensemble comedy drama Spotswood (known in the US as The Efficiency Expert), which starred Anthony Hopkins and included a then-newcomer Russell Crowe. Note: this source incorrectly provides Antonia Collette as her alias. To access further information, click on a tab, e.g. Filmography or Awards. She played Wendy, a factory worker who harbours a secret attraction towards fellow worker Carey (Ben Mendelsohn). Filmnews Peter Galvin observed, "it's here that the film finds real warmth, vigour, and pain, all contained in [her] expressive face; she's terrific and so is Mendelsohn simply because we believe them." Andrew Urban of Urban Cinephile felt that, "[she] has a lovely role and does it with minimalist excellence." For the performance, she earned her first AACTA Award nomination, for Best Supporting Actress. Note: from 1958 to 2010 these awards were known as Australian Film Institute Awards or AFI Awards. Between auditions for roles, she worked part-time delivering pizzas and selling jeans.
In 1992, her agent alerted her to a proposed film project with a good role; a year later Muriel's Wedding (1994) was financed and started casting in June 1993. Although the actor auditioned on the first day, she did not win the role until three months later. In preparation for portraying Muriel, the actor gained in 7 weeks. James Berardinelli of Reelviews called her "vibrant and energetic", while Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle opined that Collette played the lead role with "disarming earnestness". She received her first Golden Globe Award nomination, for Best Actress and won the AACTA Award for Best Actress. Note: from 1958 to 2010 these awards were known as Australian Film Institute Awards or AFI Awards.
In 1996, she had parts in three films. In the comedy drama Così, which reunited her with Muriel's Wedding castmate Rachel Griffiths, she played an actor recovering from drug addiction. David Stratton of Variety magazine said Collette "[gave] a terrific performance". In the drama Lilian's Story she played an eccentric woman sent to a mental asylum in her youth. Stratton found her to be "poignant" and took note of her range and depth. She won her second AACTA Award, this time for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Note: from 1958 to 2010 these awards were known as Australian Film Institute Awards or AFI Awards. In the period comedy Emma, an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel of the same name, she played Harriet Smith, a close friend of the titular character. Originally dismissive of Austen's works, she found Emma to be "warm and witty and clever". Jane Ganahl of San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "[Harriet was] played with heartbreaking empathy... desperately trying to meet Mr. Right – so awkwardly you fear she'll slip on a banana peel."
She starred alongside Lisa Kudrow, Parker Posey and Alanna Ubach in Clockwatchers (1997) which depicted the lives of four friends working in an office. Dustin Putman of TheFilmFile called it a "jewel of a film" and praised the performances of the cast, particularly Collette whom he referred to as "outstanding". For her supporting role as Michelle in The Boys (1998) she won her third AACTA Award. Note: from 1958 to 2010 these awards were known as Australian Film Institute Awards or AFI Awards. Although Velvet Goldmine (1998), returned less than half its production budget at the box office, Metacritic reports a 65% score based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". It grew in stature after its release to become a cult film. Collette credited it with revitalising her passion for acting as it had freed her from distress she had been facing. Her next film, 8½ Women (1999) was not as well received: Metacritic gave it a "generally unfavorable" score of 36%.
1999–2004: Rise to prominence and Broadway debut
When Collette received M. Night Shyamalan's script for The Sixth Sense (1999), she feared it would be a "formulaic Hollywood action drama". However, she was moved by the story and agreed to audition, winning the role over other actors, including Marisa Tomei. She portrayed Lynn Sear, a mother struggling to raise her son Cole (Haley Joel Osment) who communicates with ghosts. Gary Thompson of The Philadelphia Inquirer observed, "the scene in the car when [Cole] divulges his secret is so riveting... and it's so well-acted by Osment and Collette." He added, "she'd become the greatest screen weeper of her generation." The Sixth Sense grossed US$670 million on a budget of US$40 million and became the second-highest-grossing film of 1999. It gathered six Academy Award nominations including Collette's for Best Supporting Actress. She reflected, "There was some definite feeling we all had that it was going to somehow be special. [... It] did really well and has been loved by a lot of people."
In 2000 she made her Broadway debut with a leading role in The Wild Party, playing Queenie, a masochistic showgirl who hosts a lavish party with her husband. Originally written for Vanessa Williams, it went to Collette after the former was unavailable. Charles Isherwood felt under-whelmed by the musical and the actor's performance, "[Collette's] Queenie is flat and one-dimensional; she doesn't convey the warmth that invites emotional investment." Ben Brantley of The New York Times differed, "Ms. Collette... gives the evening's most fully realized performance," but criticised the lack of chemistry with Yancey Arias. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Collette turned down the title role in Bridget Jones's Diary due to her Broadway commitments.