Toni Collette’s 10 Best Movies and TV Shows

Few actors have as much experience in renowned independent films as Tony Colletteand the Australian artist has become one of the most respected names in the industry. Toni Collette’s best films and TV shows serve as a showcase for her nearly unparalleled ability to play complex, nuanced characters, and span multiple genres and decades after her 1992 feature film debut. Stained wood.

Born in 1972 and active since 1990, Toni Collette got her first role in an episode of the Australian soap opera A national practice in 1990. This was followed by Stained wood in 1992, although it was taking the lead in 1994 Muriel’s wedding which catapulted her career and set her on the path to the reputation she now deservedly enjoyed. Still active today thanks to films like Ruby Gillman, teenage Kraken and the next Mickey 17 In 2025, Toni Collette’s best movies and TV shows include some of the most highly regarded films of the last few decades, as well as several hit series.

10

I’m Thinking About Ending Things (2020)

Toni Collette plays the mother

The surreal thriller of 2020 I’m thinking about ending things comes from Charlie Kaufman, adapted from the 2016 novel of the same name by Iain Reid. Toni Collette stars as a character simply called Mother, who, alongside Father (David Thewlis), are props on the strangest night in the life of “Young Woman” (Jessie Buckley), the girl her son Jake (Jesse Plemons) brought home. for them to meet.

I’m thinking about ending things is an incredibly bizarre film, albeit in a way that makes it brilliantly and arguably one of Toni Collette’s best films. She received a Best Supporting Actress nomination from the Chicago Film Critics Association for her performance as Mother.and in many ways the role brought together his considerable experience in psychological thrillers from a plethora of his previous appearances.

9

Knives Out (2019)

Toni Collette plays Jone Thrombey

It’s hard to pick a single actor who stands out from the star-studded cast of Rian Johnson’s 2019 crime thriller Knives out. Although Daniel Craig will undoubtedly steal the show as Detective Benoit Blanc, now the leader of the franchise, who returns in 2022 glass onion, Toni Collette’s performance as Joni Thrombey was also incredibly memorable in its own right – as evidenced by her nomination for the AACTA International Award for Best International Supporting Actress.

Tony Collette Knives out the character Joni is the widow of Neil, the late son of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (the figure at the center of the murder that Craig’s Benoit Blanc must solve). Collette gives a subtly hilarious performance in the role, and Knives out is a perfect example of his variety among his best films, as it is incredibly different from many of the career-defining films in his filmography.

8

About a Boy (2002)

Toni Collette plays Fiona Brewer

2002 romantic comedy About A Boy, Directed by Paul and Chris Weitz, it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and was a breakout role for Nicholas Hoult. However, it is also one of Toni Collette’s best films, and she was nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for her portrayal of difficult single mother Fiona Brewer. Based on Nick Hornby’s novel of the same name About a Boy centers on the unlikely friendship between pre-teen Marcus (Hoult) and adult, perpetually single Will Freeman (Hugh Grant).

Fiona, by Toni Collette, is Marcus’ mother, who struggles with severe and acute depression. Collette steals the show in the role, delivering a near-perfect performance that seems to effortlessly capture Fiona’s struggles. Of particular note is the scene where she and Nicholas Hoult’s Marcus sing “Killing Me Softly With His Song” as a piano duet while Hugh Grant watches in awkward silence.

7

Unbelievable (2019)

Toni Collette plays Detective Grace Rasmussen

The 2019 miniseries Unbelievable received a lot of praise for Toni Collette for her performance as Det. Grace Rasmussen. This includes winning the Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Television Film, and a Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe nomination in the same category. The Netflix crime drama is based on the 2015 article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” by Ken Armstrong and T. Christian Miller, and the show is every bit as harrowing as the title of the source material suggests.

Toni Collette gives an incredible performance as Grace, the Westminster police officer whose personal mission is to uncover the culprit behind a series of sexual assaults that have plagued the Colorado community. As expected, what she discovers is both disturbing and shocking, and Collette ensures viewers are left in no doubt that Rasmussen is just as impacted by her discoveries as they are.

6

In Her Place (2005)

Toni Collette plays Rose Feller

Many of Toni Collette’s best films are the ones in which she plays characters who struggle with mental health or supports those who do. That doesn’t mean all of his projects are overly complex or emotionally heavy, as is the case with Curtis Hanson’s 2005 romantic comedy. In your shoes. Collette’s role as Rose is easily one of her strongest, and she manages to be both hilarious and relatable – while also tying in many of the themes that influence most of her best films and shows.

In In your shoes, Collette stars alongside Cameron Diaz. The duo play sisters Rose and Maggie. Rose is incredibly uptight, although it quickly becomes apparent that Maggie is the main reason for this. A free spirit and self-defined, Maggie struggles with alcoholism and poor relationship decisions, which leads her into many situations that Rose needs to save her from. As touching as it is hilarious, In her place manages to be one of Toni Collette’s most joyful films, without losing the complexity and nuances that her roles are known for.

5

United States of Tara (2009-2011)

Toni Collette plays Tara Gregson

Although she is best known for her films, Toni Collette also has a considerable level of experience on the small screen. When it comes to Toni Collette’s best TV show, it’s almost impossible to deny it United States of Tara take the crown. Collette takes the lead as the titular Tara on the Showtime dramedy, and her performance on the 2009-2001 show earned her an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

Like many of her roles among Toni Collette’s best films and TV shows, Tara in United States of Tara it’s incredibly nuanced. She suffers from dissociative identity disorder and finds that the treatment harms her ability to be an artist and a mother. However, when she stops taking her medication, her alternate personalities emerge, with Collette ensuring that they are all unique and distinct from Tara herself.

4

Muriel’s Wedding (1994)

Toni Collette plays Muriel Heslop

1994 Muriel’s wedding, from director PJ Hogan, it was a breakout role for Toni Collette and remains one of her best films. She plays the titular Muriel, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical. This is especially noteworthy given that it was only Collette’s second appearance in a feature film (her first was in 1992). stained wood).

The plot of Muriel’s wedding continues to be incredibly relatable to audiences despite debuting over 30 years ago, and Collette’s performance as Muriel is one of the main reasons why. Many can empathize with her desire to leave her hometown, as well as her pinning all her hopes for happiness on having the wedding of her dreams. The character herself is incredibly strange but endearing, and it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Toni Collette bringing Muriel to life on screen.

3

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Toni Collette plays Lynn Sear

In the 2020s, 1999 The Sixth Sense has become engrained in pop culture legend. Considered by many to be the best film released by director M. Night Shyamalan so far, The Sixth Sense It featured phenomenal performances from Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment. The pair often overshadow Toni Collette’s work in the supernatural thriller, though her role as Lynn Sear, the mother of troubled child Cole (Osment), is undoubtedly some of her best work.

Toni Collette’s performance in The Sixth Sense is essential to humanizing Cole and his disturbing ability to see the dead. The scene where Lynn finally accepts that Cole’s visions of the deceased are real is especially moving, with Collette’s delivery ensuring that the audience never has to suspend their disbelief. The Sixth Sense has an odd level of realism for a supernatural film, and Toni Collette’s performance is one of the main reasons why.

2

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Toni Collette plays Sheryl Hoover

2006 Little Miss SunshineFrom directors Jonathan Dayon and Valerie Farris, it was a career-defining film for most of the cast, including names like Steve Carell, Abigail Breslin and Paul Dano. The same happened with Toni Collette, nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for her role as Sheryl.

In Little Miss Sunshine, The Hoover family travels across the country so daughter Olive (Breslin) can compete in a beauty pageant. Along the way, Sheryl has to hold the family together through tragic times, such as son Dwayne (Dano) discovering that his vision means he can’t follow his dream of becoming a pilot, and counseling his brother Frank (Carrell) after a suicide attempt. It’s a heartfelt and moving film, and Toni Collette is incredible as the figure who holds this dysfunctional and highly relatable family together.

1

Hereditary (2018)

Toni Collette plays Annie Graham

Directed by Ari Aster, the 2018 A24 horror film Hereditary Not only was it a huge success for the studio, but it also featured Toni Collette’s best performance to date (which is a considerable feat considering how recent in his career he’s come). Hereditary is an incredibly nuanced horror about cults, demonic possession, and the struggles of parenthood and mental health.

Based on their roles in The Sixth Sense, Little Miss Sunshine, and About a Boy in many ways, Tony Collette plays Annie in Hereditary, and her performance is as riveting as it is harrowing. There are almost too many scenes in Hereditary choose the one that consolidates it as Collette’s best film. Some highlights include when Annie’s son Peter (Alex Wolff) wakes up to discover his mother standing over him with a lighter, dousing him in gasoline, or Collette’s nightmarish scream when she discovers her daughter Charlie’s decapitated body ( Milly Shapiro) in Peter’s car. .