SHE'S best known on these shores for playing mean bully Tania Degano in 90s classic Muriel's Wedding. But 31 years on from the drama's big screen release, Sophie Lee looks very different. The Australian actress, 56, cuts a much classier figure today than her bratty alter-ego, who very much reflected the fashion of the times.
![[Sophie Lee and Anthony Freedman at a Zimmermann fashion event.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/sophie-lee-anthony-freedman-attend-966286184.jpg?strip=all&w=600)
Toni Colette was the leading lady in the famous movie, picking up a Golden Globe nomination for the role of misguided Muriel Heslop. In the flick, Muriel is the victim of cruel bullying from her 'friends' - of which Tania is one - and has desires of escaping her home town for a better, more extravagant life elsewhere.
![[Three young women in swimsuits by a pool.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Capture1_44f5c7.png?strip=all&w=960)
She has a luxurious sham wedding to a South African athlete so that he can compete for Australia in the Olympics, but as soon as they tie the knot he makes it clear there's no chance of a genuine relationship developing. A series of tragic life events and the reality of her loveless marriage ultimately teach her valuable lessons about what's important in life.
![[Scene still from Muriel's Wedding (1994) showing Toni Collette and Bill Hunter.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/73e80338-b571-4f46-944e-f58debb78586.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
After starring in the film, Sophie also had roles in Holy Smoke!, with Harvey Keitel and Kate Winslet, and 2012's Mental, which saw her reunite with Colette and Muriel's Wedding director P.J. Hogan. The mum-of-three is married to businessman Anthony Freedman and has stepped back from acting in recent years.
