Toni Collette

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BIRTHDAY

November 01, 1972

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

RECENT CREDITS

Mary and Max (FILM) Sep. 25, 2009

The Black Balloon (FILM) Dec. 5, 2008

Towelhead (FILM) Sep. 12, 2008

Evening (FILM) Jun. 29, 2007

Ellen DeGeneres Show (TV) Jan. 15, 2007

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BIOGRAPHY

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Perhaps because this Aussie actress is unafraid to completely transform herself both physically and psychologically for roles, she's too unglamorous to be embraced by the mainstream as a bona fide star. But critics are perennially impressed with her remarkable abilities, even if she's often forced to play second fiddle to lesser actresses. Collette had only a couple of roles under her belt when she gained her breakout role (not to mention 40 pounds) as a quirky introvert in the hit 1994 comedy Muriel's Wedding. Unfortunately, she was so convincing as a frump that it took years for her to convince the industry that she could play attractive, too. A string of solid supporting performances followed — she was Gwyneth Paltrow's homely friend in Emma and the wallflower in a quartet of temps in the indie Clockwatchers — until she proved she could be fabulous in an Angela Bowie-type turn as an ugly duckling turned sequin-covered swan in the glam rock drama Velvet Goldmine. Her powerful performance as a single mom grappling with her son's supernatural abilities in 1999's Sixth Sense earned her an Oscar nod, and a slew of domestic roles followed: a suicidal mom in About a Boy, an unhappy housewife with sapphic desires in The Hours and Cameron Diaz's dumpy sister in In Her Shoes, a throwback to her roles of old that required her to gain, then lose, a striking amount of weight. But 2006 was a banner year for the versatile player: Not only did Collette earn a pair of Golden Globe nominations for her work as an addled mom in the indie Little Miss Sunshine and a harried aid worker in the TV-movie Tsunami: The Aftermath, she also released Beautiful Awkward Picture, her debut album with her band Toni Collette & the Finish.

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