Since starring in her first roles in the early 90s to now, Toni Collette has given viewers a wide range of variety. Collette, an Australian actress, had made quite the name for herself in America. Often being assigned the role of a mother, Collette’s performances are never the same.
Her portrayal of Lynn Sear in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense is often credited as the actress’ breakout role. From there, she starred in anything from comedies with Steve Carrell to one of the scariest horror films of all time, Hereditary. As a woman of many talents, she also has had a successful career in TV. In 2022, Collette made waves when she starred in the Netflix original series Pieces of Her and HBO Max’s The Staircase.
Update January 40th, 2023: If you are here for Toni Collette and all of her outstanding work, you'll be happy to know we've updated this article with more of the talented actress' best films.
Over the last decade, the actress’s popularity has risen, paving the way for her career, so let’s take a look back at some of Toni Collette’s best performances, ranked.
10 Pieces of Her
Collette's role as Laura Oliver in the newest Netflix Original Series Pieces of Her earned her first spot on this list. The miniseries, based on the novel by Karin Slaughter, was just released in early-March 2022. While the series has gotten mixed reviews, the review of Collette's performance was a redeeming factor to the series.
When a birthday lunch explodes into violence, a young woman’s view of her mother changes forever. As figures from her mother’s past start to resurface, she is forced to go on the run and piece together the truth about her mother.
9 The Staircase
The Staircase is the eight-part true crime drama from HBO Max. It stars Colin Firth as Michael Peterson, a writer and occasional political candidate accused at the beginning of the series of murdering his wife Kathleen (Collette), who is found dead at the bottom of a staircase. In the series, Collette is shown in flashbacks - but the actress conjures them into a believable Emmy-nominated turn as a high-powered executive and loving wife, unaware of her impending fate.
8 The United States of Tara
In perhaps her most decorated TV show, The United States of Tara, Toni Collette plays a woman who struggles to find a balance between raising her family and her dissociative identity disorder. Throughout the 3 season show that aired on Showtime, Collette manages to successfully play five different identities of Tara Gregson. As a nod to her success, she received Emmy nomination in both 2009 and 2010 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She ultimately ended up winning the 2009 nomination.
7 Knives Out
Knives Out features a star-studded cast including Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Chris Evans. Despite being among some big names, Toni Collette's performance as a money-hungry widow helps set her apart from her co-stars. The film centers around a renowned crime novelist who is found dead in his home, and Detective Benoit Blanc is called in to investigate.
From the novelist's dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, the detective must find out right from wrong behind the unexpected death. Collette's character only has marital relations with the family, yet holds her own when it comes to fighting for the inheritance.
6 Little Miss Sunshine
Toni Collette is often known for her roles in dramatic films or shows with a handful of roles in other genres. Her portrayal as Sheryl Hoover in the light-hearted comedy Little Miss Sunshine helps show her depth as an actress. When their seven-year-old daughter finds out she is eligible for the Little Miss Sunshine pageant, the entire family sets off in their WV camper van for the trip from Albuquerque to California. During the journey, the disaster-ridden family hits some bumps along the way. In the midst of this dysfunction, it is Sheryl who has to try and keep everyone together.
5 Muriel's Wedding
While the role in M. Night Shyamalan’s Sixth Sense (1999) fetched Collette global fame, it was the 1994 quirky comedy Muriel's Wedding that showcased her abilities for the first time. In this film, young Collette portrays the ABBA-loving, socially awkward Muriel Heslop, who daydreams of a glamorous wedding, despite having never been on a date. Collette’s performance that will make you laugh and cry earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination and won her the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards for Best Actress.
4 In Her Shoes
Another one of Toni Collette's drama roles comes from her performance of Rose Feller. Rose could not be more different from her sister Maggie, played by Cameron Diaz. Where she is responsible and serious, Maggie loves to party and have fun. After being tossed from her home, Rose reluctantly takes Maggie into her home. The sisters' personalities clash and Maggie ends up sleeping with Rose's boyfriend.
Rose takes a look at her life after that and decides to make some changes to herself. It turns out the sisters have a lot to learn from each other in this drama. Collette's character arc from being someone who is walked over to someone who does things for themselves helps give Collette an applaud-worthy performance. She is relatable and easy to root for in In Her shoes.
3 Unbelievable
In this Netflix Original Series, Toni Collette plays Detective Grace Rasmussen. In the show, a teenager is charged with lying about having been raped. Her story seems unbelievable, but after she changes her mind on whether or not it happens, the police have already written her off as a liar and an attention-seeker. Unknown to her, two detectives team up to follow the path of what seems to be a serial rapist that may be connected to the teen.
Collette plays an absolute badass detective in Unbelievable. She does not take crap from anyone and has worked hard to make a name for herself while also doing all she can to save others. Her performance earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
2 The Sixth Sense
In The Sixth Sense, Collette plays Lynn Sear, a single mother of a troubled boy. The boy can see dead people and, together with the help of a disheartened child psychologist, the grownups have to find a way to understand Cole and help him feel like less of a freak. For Collette, this role is best known as her breakout role. In the film, the scene towards the end of the film where Cole tells her the truth about himself surely won her the well-deserved Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
1 Hereditary
When her mentally ill mother passes away, Annie, played by Toni Collette, and her family mourn the loss in their own way. Turning to the supernatural, the two begin to have disturbing and otherworldly experiences linked to their sinister secrets and emotional trauma that has been passed down through generations.
In Hereditary, Collette gives her best acting performance to date, which is both memorable and believable, leaving the viewer on the edge of their seats. As a nod to a great performance, Collette was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress.