Toni Collette first appeared in the Episode: "The Sting: Part 1" of the Australian television soap opera ‘A Country Practice’ in 1990. She made her big-screen debut in the 1991 Australian business comedy-drama film ‘Spotswood’ directed by Mark Joffe. In 1994, she starred as ‘Muriel Heslop’ in the Australian comedy-drama film ‘Muriel's Wedding’ directed by P.J. Hogan. The film earned praise from critics and was a financial success, grossing over $57.5 million on a budget of $9 million. Collette also received a ‘Golden Globe Award’ nomination for her performance in the film. She next starred in films like ‘Arabian Knight’ (1995), ‘Così’ (1996), ‘The Pallbearer’ (1996), ‘Emma’ (1996), ‘Clockwatchers’ (1997), ‘Diana & Me’ (1997), ‘The Boys’ (1998), ‘Velvet Goldmine’ (1998), and ‘8½ Women’ (1999). In 1999, she starred as ‘Lynn Sear’ in the American supernatural psychological thriller film ‘The Sixth Sense’ directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The film opened to positive reviews and was a massive commercial success, grossing over $672.8 million on a budget of $40 million. Collette also received the ‘Academy Award’ and ‘Satellite Award’ nominations for her performance in the film.
The year 2000 saw the release of the American action crime film ‘Shaft’ where Collette was seen playing the role of Diane Palmieri. The film received mostly positive reviews and was a financial success. In 2002, she appeared in the romantic comedy-drama film ‘About a Boy’ directed by Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz. The film saw positive reviews upon release and was a major box office success, grossing over $130.5 million on a budget of $30 million. Collette also received several award nominations for her performance in the film including the ‘British Academy Film Award’ and ‘Gold Derby Award’ nominations. She continued to star in films like ‘Dirty Deeds’ (2002), ‘The Hours’ (2002), ‘Japanese Story’ (2003), ‘The Last Shot’ (2004), ‘Connie and Carla’ (2004), and ‘In Her Shoes’ (2005). In 2006, she starred as ‘Sheryl Hoover’ in the American tragicomedy road film ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The saw critical acclaim upon release and was a massive financial success, grossing over $101 million on a budget of $8 million. That same year, she also appeared in the American psychological thriller-horror film ‘The Night Listener.’ The film received a mixed response from critics.
She went on to star in films like ‘The Dead Girl’ (2006), ‘Evening’ (2007), ‘Towelhead’ (2007), ‘The Black Balloon’ (2008), and ‘Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger’ (2008). In 2009, she joined the main cast of the American television comedy-drama series ‘United States of Tara.’ She played the role of ‘Tara Gregson’ which earned her the ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ and ‘Golden Globe Award.’ The series aired its final episode in 2011. She starred as ‘Jane Brewster’ in the 2011 American horror comedy film ‘Fright Night’ directed by Craig Gillespie. The film received mostly positive reviews with critics praising the performance of the cast. The following year, she portrayed ‘Peggy Robertson’ in the American biographical romantic drama film ‘Hitchcock.’ The film opened to a mixed reception. She was next seen in films like ‘The Way, Way Back’ (2013), ‘Lucky Them’ (2013), ‘A Long Way Down’ (2014), ‘Hector and the Search for Happiness’ (2014), ‘Blinky Bill the Movie’ (2015), ‘Krampus’ (2015), and ‘Imperium’ (2016).
In 2017, she played the role of ‘Jane Marke’ in the American action thriller film ‘XXX: Return of Xander Cage’ directed by D.J. Caruso. The film received a mixed response from critics and was a financial success. The following year, she appeared in the American horror film ‘Hereditary’ directed by Ari Aster. The film opened to wide critical acclaim and was a phenomenal financial success, grossing over $80.2 million on a budget of $10 million. Collette also received several awards for her performance in the film including the ‘Chicago Film Critics Association Award’ and ‘Detroit Film Critics Society Award.’ She next appeared in films like ‘Hearts Beat Loud’ (2018), ‘Velvet Buzzsaw’ (2019), and ‘I'm Thinking of Ending Things’ (2020). She was last seen in the 2021 American neo-noir psychological thriller film ‘Nightmare Alley’ directed by Guillermo del Toro. Despite opening to positive reviews, the film tanked at the box office.