Born Laura Constance Hardie, she started her career as a chorus girl in musical revues, gradually developing into a fine dramatic actress. Collier became a "grand dame" of the American and British stage. She debuted on screen in D.W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916), then made a few more films in the silent era; in the '30s and '40s she continued to make sporadic but excellent appearances in Hollywood films, usually playing eccentric, caustic upper-crust woman with grand manners. She was also the author of several plays.