Talei was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2007 and 2012 WA Equity Guild Awards and won the Best Screen Actor at the 2001 WA Screen Awards. She trained at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and has a BA (Theatre) from Curtin University. She has appeared on film for Cordell Jigsaw, Southern Star Entertainment, Jag Films, CM Films, WestOne, Mintox Media, Electric Pictures, Coral Lagoon and Granada as well as appearing in numerous TV commercials. She has also narrated documentaries for SBS (Western Australia) and voiced animations for Nickelodeon.