Toni Collette

Toni Collette (born Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress and producer.

Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and five AACTA Awards, with nominations for an Academy Award and a Tony Award.

Collette made her television debut in 1988 on a comedy, variety show Blah Blah Blah as a singer.

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.

Her first 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 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.

Collette made her film debut in the 1992 film Spotswood.

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.

She played Wendy, a factory worker who harbours a secret attraction towards fellow worker Carey (Ben Mendelsohn).

Her breakthrough role came in the comedy drama Muriel's Wedding (1994), which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination and won her the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

She performed Cordelia in King Lear (March 1994) and was also in stage productions at the Belvoir Street Theatre, directed by Rush.

Collette's other films include Emma (1996), Velvet Goldmine (1998), The Hours (2002), Japanese Story (2003), In Her Shoes (2005), Fright Night (2011), The Way, Way Back (2013), Krampus (2015), Hereditary (2018), Knives Out (2019), I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020), and Nightmare Alley (2021).

Collette received further acclaim for her role in the thriller The Sixth Sense (1999), for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She made her Broadway debut in The Wild Party (2000), earning a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

She received BAFTA Award nominations for her performances in the romantic comedy About a Boy (2002) and the comedy drama Little Miss Sunshine (2006).

Collette married Dave Galafassi, drummer of the band Gelbison, in January 2003.

The couple have two children together.

As the lead singer of Toni Collette & the Finish, she 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.

In television, she starred 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.

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".

Collette and Jen Turner co-founded the film production company Vocab Films in 2017.

Collette is the eldest of three children; she has 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 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.

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.

Other Emmy-nominated roles include the Netflix miniseries Unbelievable (2019) and the HBO Max miniseries The Staircase (2022).