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Toni Collette Profile |
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Birth Date: November 1, 1972
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Birth Place: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Birth Name: Antonia Collette
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Height: 5'6"
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Biography |
Antonia Collette was born in Blacktown, New South Wales, on
November 1, 1972. She is the daughter of Bob and Judy
Collette, a truck driver and customer-service agent
respectively. She grew up with two younger brothers and a
household full of animals, which kept her in the Australian
outdoors and behaving like a tomboy.
Toni discovered her knack for acting when she was 11 years
old when she pretended to have appendicitis. In fact, her
performance was so persuasive that doctors had her appendix
removed. Toni’s aptitude for acting continued into her
teenage years and in 1986, she took part in a school
performance of Godspell. At 14 years old, Toni had found her
professional calling.
Toni Collette was 16 when she decided to leave school to
enter the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) in
1988. Her parents gave their full approval on the decision,
but Toni left NIDA after a year and a half to take her first
acting job in Spotswood (1992). The film was led by Sir
Anthony Hopkins, but it was rising-star Russell Crowe who
caught her eye.
Collette and Crowe hung out on and off set during the
filming of the movie, and the actor ended up taking her
under his wing. "Russell took me out," she says, "got me
drunk, gave me pot and wiped up the vomit when I couldn't
handle it. He's really sweet.” The role won Collette a Best
Supporting Actress nomination from the Australian Film
Institute.
After Spotswood, Toni found solace in theatrical
performance. In 1992, she won a Sydney Critics’ Circle Award
for Best Newcomer as Sonya in Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.
She continued to work with the Sydney Theatre Company as she
auditioned for the title role in Muriel’s Wedding (1994).
Toni nabbed the role of the Abba-loving dreamer and worked
with a dietician to gain 40 pounds to play the part. Her
name became synonymous with Abba following the success of
the film. Toni also earned a Golden Globe nomination for the
role.
Muriel’s Wedding solidified Toni Collette’s career as an
actress, but it was only the beginning: She averaged two
films per year throughout the remainder of the '90s and the
beginning of the 21st century. Her work was heavily
recognized by the Australian Film Institute, which honored
her with Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards for
Muriel’s Wedding (1994), Lilian’s Story (1995), The Boys
(1998), and Japanese Story (2003).
But a personal side to Toni’s life was beginning to develop.
In 1998, while working on Velvet Goldmine with Ewan McGregor
and Christian Bale, Toni began an off-screen relationship
with costar Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The partnership lasted
about a year and it would be her last link to getting
involved with someone she worked with on a film.
Toni made her U.S. debut in The Pallbearer (1996) and she is
also known for the quirky Clockwatchers (1998), but it
wasn’t until M. Night Shyamalan directed her in The Sixth
Sense (1999) that American audiences were able to see her
onscreen talent. In the movie, Toni played the mother of
Haley Joel Osment and shared the screen with Bruce Willis.
The film earned her a 2000 Academy Award nomination for Best
Supporting Actress which she lost to Angelina Jolie for
Girl, Interrupted (1999). After this success, Toni became an
internationally celebrated figure in the entertainment
business.
On January 11, 2003, Toni married Dave Galafassi. The two
secured homes in Australia and the Republic of Ireland, but
Collette didn’t allow marriage to break her stride in her
work as an actress. In 2005, she appeared opposite Cameron
Diaz and Shirley MacLaine in the comedic drama In Her Shoes.
Although Toni made a promise not to gain weight for another
role after putting on her 40 pounds for Muriel’s Wedding,
director Curtis Hanson encouraged her to put on 25 pounds
for her part as Rose Feller. Toni agreed to the weight-gain
because she felt it was a necessary element of the
character.
In 2006, Toni Collette teamed up with Greg Kinnear and Alan
Arkin to make Little Miss Sunshine (2006), a film about a
family’s undying willingness to get its daughter to a beauty
pageant final. Toni played in five other films that were
slated for release in 2007, including The Dead Girl, Hey,
Hey, It’s Esther Blueburger, and Evening.
Toni has a busy lineup but she finds ways to relax if her
work starts to interfere with her living. “When it gets too
much, I just walk the beaches of Sydney and get calm again,”
she says. “You just grab your surfboard, splash in those
waves and feel happy to be alive. That’s what really
matters.” |
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Other
Information |
Nominated for a 2000 Tony Award for her performance as
"Queenie" in Michael John LaChiusa's musical "The Wild
Party" on Broadway.
Gained 40 pounds in 7 weeks for Muriel's Wedding (1994) with
the help of a dietitian.
Born on the same day as actress/model Jenny McCarthy.
Starred as Sonya in the Sydney Theatre Company's 1992
Production of Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya".
Has two brothers.
Though she vowed not to gain any more weight for movie
roles, director Curtis Hanson convinced her to gain
twenty-five pounds for her role in In Her Shoes (2005). She
believed it was important to her character's personality.
Dropped out of Australia's NIDA (National Institute of
Dramatic Arts) in order to make her first film Spotswood
(1992). |
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