Biography
One of the most compelling actors of her generation, Toni Collette has enjoyed a career that can only be described as unpredictable. Moon-faced, cat-eyed, and possessing a presence that conveys both dignity and eccentricity, Collette had her breakthrough in P.J. Hogan's hit 1994 comedy
Muriel's Wedding. As the film's title character, an overweight, ABBA-loving woman who is obsessed with getting married, the Australian actor earned both critical raves and audience recognition across the globe. She also earned plenty of opportunities to be typecast into similar roles -- particularly as she had gained over 18 kilos to play the part of Muriel -- but managed to skillfully avoid this by appearing in a variety of films that had nothing to do with ABBA, matrimony, or weight issues.
Born in Sydney, Australia, on November 1, 1972, Collette became interested in acting as a child. She made her stage debut at the age of 14 in a school production of Godspell, and went on to attend the National Institute of Dramatic Art. Quitting the prestigious school after less than two years in order to work with a talented stage director, she appeared in a number of plays and in 1991 made her screen debut in Spotswood, acting in the company of
Anthony Hopkins and a then unheard-of
Russell Crowe.
Three years later, Collette had her big break with
Muriel's Wedding, a sleeper hit in both Australia and the U.S. Following the hoopla surrounding the film's success, the actor appeared in a number of small films, including the 1996 comedy
Cosi and
Clockwatchers (1997), a poignant office comedy that featured Collette,
Lisa Kudrow,
Parker Posey, and Alanna Ubach as dissatisfied temps.
Recognized by keen-eyed observers as
Gwyneth Paltrow's shy friend Harriet in Douglas McGrath's 1996 adaptation of
Emma, and as the Angie Bowie-esque wife of a glam rocker in
Todd Haynes' much maligned Velvet Goldmined (1998), Collette found her biggest audience to date -- as well as some of her biggest raves -- in M. Night Shalyaman's
The Sixth Sense (1999). Cast as the mother of a young boy (
Haley Joel Osment) who sees dead people, Collette earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance. Unfortunately, she followed the film with
Shaft (2000), more or less wasting her talents in the role of a woman who the titular private dick has to save from the bad guys.
Collette's talents were put to greater use in the made-for-TV movie
Dinner With Friends (2001), which cast her as a woman who breaks up with her husband (
Greg Kinnear) after 12 years of marriage. The movie, which also starred
Andie MacDowell and
Dennis Quaid, won warm reviews, particularly for the strong ensemble work of its four principle actors. Collette's subsequent workload reflected her growing popularity; in addition to
Stephen Daldry's
The Hours (2001), which she starred in alongside a cast that included
Meryl Streep,
Nicole Kidman,
Julianne Moore, and
Ed Harris, she also appeared opposite
Hugh Grant in the 2002 adaptation of author
Nick Hornby's
About a Boy. Collette continued to take on small-scale projects like the Hollywood satire
The Last Shot. She co-starred with Nia Vardelos in Connie & Carla, a film that came nowhere close to equaling the sleeper success of Vardelos'
My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but did showcase Collette's fine singing voice. The next year Collette gave a strong performance opposite
Cameron Diaz in the underappreciated
In Her Shoes. 2006 found her stretching both her comedic and dramatic muscles by co-starring in the psychological thriller
The Night Listener as well as the sleeper hit independent comedy
Little Miss Sunshine opposite
Steve Carell and
Greg Kinnear. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide