Mary Coustas

Mary Coustas
Coustas at the Killing Them Softly Australian premiere in September 2012
Born (1964-09-16) 16 September 1964 (age 60)
Collingwood, Victoria, Australia
MediumFilm and television actress
NationalityAustralian
Years active1989–present
SpouseGeorge Betsis (m. 2005)
Children1
Notable works and rolesAcropolis Now (1989–1992)
Greeks on the Roof (2003)
Websitehttps://maryandeffie.com/effie/

Mary Coustas (born 16 September 1964) is an Australian actress, comedian and television personality and writer. Originally from Melbourne, Coustas often performs as the character "Effie", a stereotypical second-generation Greek Australian prone to malapropisms. She completed a Bachelor of Arts at Deakin University in Melbourne, majoring in performing arts and sub-majoring in journalism.

Coustas won the Logie Award for Most Popular Comedy Personality in 1993.[1]

Theatre

Coustas' initial claim to fame came from the comedy stage show Wogs Out of Work alongside Nick Giannopoulos, George Kapiniaris and Simon Palomares.

In 2019, Coustas joined the Shooshi Mango boys and Giannopoulos on stage in a show named Fifty Shades of Ethnic.[2]

2024 sees Mary Coustas return to a stage tour with Effie: Up Yourselfness.

Television career

Coustas appeared on the popular television sitcom Acropolis Now, from 1989 until 1992, in the role of Effie Stephanidis.

Since then she has appeared as Effie in other television shows and commercials. Effie also appeared in the interview show Effie, Just Quietly in 2001 and hosted her own short-lived talk show called Greeks on the Roof in 2003.[3]

Coustas played straight dramatic roles in two police series: Skirts in 1990 and Wildside in 1998. Other roles include Grass Roots, The Secret Life of Us and Good Guys Bad Guys. Her voice-over work includes The Magic Pudding, Hercules Returns and Always Greener. She also appeared as a guest on comedy game show Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation in 2012, and had a guest role in the drama Rake.

In May 2023, it was announced that Coustas would be participating in the twentieth series of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with Aric Yegudkin.

Books and music

In 1992 Effie released a novelty single: a duet with another fictional character, Garry McDonald's Norman Gunston. The recording was their version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Amigos Para Siempre. Coustas's book Effie's Guide to Being Up Yourself was published in 2003.[4]

In her 2013 memoir All I Know: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Life,[5] Coustas looked back over her career, and reflected on the lives and deaths of her father, grandmother and daughter.[6]

She co-starred in two comedic, mock music video entries for Eurovision, "Electronik Supersonik" (2004) and "I Am the Anti-Pope" (2006) starring Australian comedian Santo Cilauro as a pop star character named Zladko “ZLAD!” Vladcik from the fictional eastern European country of Molvanîa.[7] Cilauro, along with Rob Sitch and Tom Gleisner, created the “ZLAD!” character to accompany their book, the parody Jetlag Travel Guide to Molvanîa.[8][9] Cilauro, Sitch and Gleisner would later co-author of similar parody travel guides for Phaic Tăn (in south-east Asia) and San Sombrèro (in Latin America).

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Type
1988 Mull aka 'Mullaway' Helen Feature film
1989 Blowing Hot and Cold Jenny Feature film
1990 Nirvana Street Murder Helen Feature film
1993 Hercules Returns Lisa Feature film
2000 The Magic Pudding Ginger (voice) Animated feature film

Television

Year Title Role Type
1989-1992 Acropolis Now Efthimia Francesca 'Effie' Stefanidis TV series, 40 episodes
1990 Skirts Constable Julie Makris TV series, 40 episodes
1998 Wildside Louise Arden TV series, 10 episodes
1998 Good Guys Bad Guys Madonna Kapello TV series, 1 episode
2000 Water Rats Hilary Kernaghan TV series, 1 episode
2001 Effie, Just Quietly Host (as Effie) SBS TV series, 6 episodes
2002 The Secret Life of Us Peace Picabo TV series, 4 episodes
2002 Always Greener Cher the Chicken TV series, 1 episode
2003 Greeks on the Roof Host (as Effie) TV series, 11 episodes
2003 Grass Roots Ava Strick TV series, 9 episodes
2012 Rake Judge Ben TV series, season 2, episode 5: "R v Turner"
2013 60 Minutes Herself - interviewee TV series
2015 About Tonight Guest (as Effie) TV series, 1 episode
2015 Stop Laughing...This Is Serious Guest TV series, 5 episodes
2023 Dancing with the Stars Contestant TV series, season 20 (paired with Aric Yegudkin)

Guest appearances as self

Year Title Guest Type
1989 In Melbourne Today Guest TV series, 1 episode
1990 Tonight Live with Steve Vizard Guest TV series, 1 episode
1990 1990 TV Week Logie Awards Guest presenter TV special
1991; 1992 In Sydney Today Guest (as 'Effie') TV series, 2 episodes
1991; 1993 What's Cooking Guest TV series, 2 episodes
1991; 1992 The Main Event Contestant TV series, 12 episodes
1991 Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Contestant (with JoBeth Taylor & Andrew McFarlane) TV series, 1 episode
1992 1992 TV Week Logie Awards Guest performer (as 'Effie', with Garry McDonald as 'Norman Gunston') TV special
1992; 2008; 2021; 2023; 2024 The Morning Show Guest TV series, 5 episodes
1992; 1993 Midday with Ray Martin Guest (as 'Effie') TV series, 1 episode
1992 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala Guest performer (as 'Effie') TV special
1993; 1998; 2001; 2003 Good Morning Australia Guest TV series, 4 episodes
1993 At Home Guest (with Nick Giannopoulos) TV series, 1 episode
1993; 1994 Ernie and Denise Guest TV series, 2 episodes
1993; 1994; 1998 The People's Choice Awards Guest (as 'Effie') TV special
1994; 1995 Hey Hey It's Saturday Guest TV series, 2 episodes
1994 Mulray Guest TV series, 1 episode
1994 Real Life Guest TV series, 1 episode
1994 Midday with Derryn Hinch Guest (as 'Effie') TV series, 1 episode
1994 1994 Grand Prix Celebrity Race Guest driver TV special
1994 Denton Guest TV series, 1 episode
1995 Don't Forget Your Toothbrush Guest TV series, 1 episode
1996 Sale of the Century Contestant (as 'Effie') TV series, 2 episodes: "Logies Super Challenge"
1996 McFeast: Breasts Guest TV special
1996 Roy & HG Guest TV series, 1 episode
1997 Monday to Friday Guest TV series, 1 episode
1998; 2000 Denise Guest TV series, 2 episodes
1999 1999 Australian Film Institute Awards Guest Presenter TV special
2000 Bondi Banquet Self TV series, 1 episode
2000 The Morning Shift Guest TV series, 1 episode
2000 Laws Guest TV series, 1 episode
2001 Eurovision 2001: More Than Just a Song Contest Presenter (as 'Effie') TV special
2001 The Big Schmooze Guest TV series, 1 episode
2001 Rove Live Guest TV series, 1 episode
2002; 2023; 2024 Sunrise Guest TV series, 3 episodes
2003 Mornings with Kerri-Anne Guest TV series, 1 episode
2003 Greeks on the Roof Host TV series, 11 episodes
2003 This Is Your Life: The Australian Women's Weekly 70th Birthday Party Herself (with Magda Szubanski) TV series, 1 episode
2004 George Negus Tonight Guest TV series, 1 episode
2005 Australia Unites: Reach Out to Asia Guest (as 'Effie') TV special
2008 Sunrise Guest TV series, 1 episode
2012 Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation Guest panellist ('Baby Boomers' team) TV series, season 4, episode 1
2013 60 Minutes Guest TV series, 1 episode
2015 About Tonight Guest (as 'Effie') TV series, 1 episode
2015 Stop Laughing... This Is Serious Guest TV series, 5 episodes
2017 Is Motherhood Overrated? The ABC Radio International Women's Day Comedy Debate Guest Panellist TV special
2021 News Breakfast Guest (as 'Effie') TV series, 1 episode
2021 Today Extra Guest TV series, 1 episode
2021 Studio 10 Guest TV series, 1 episode
2023 Dancing with the Stars Contestant TV series, season 20, 7 episodes (paired with Aric Yegudkin)
2024 Shaun Micallef's Eve Of Destruction Herself TV series, 1 episode

Theatre

Year Title Role Type
1987 Wogs Out of Work Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Personal life

Coustas was born in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood.[10]

Coustas married George Betsis in 2005. After six years of in vitro fertilisation, their first child was stillborn at 22 weeks.[11] In August 2013, Coustas and her husband announced in an interview with 60 Minutes[12] that she was 22 weeks pregnant and expecting their second child in early December 2013. Their daughter Jamie was born on 28 November 2013.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ "Speaker Profile of Mary Coustas". Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  2. ^ "Sooshi Mango - Fifty Shades of Ethnic". Off The Leash. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  3. ^ "AAPT thinks Effie's in touch with her publics". The Age. Fairfax. 10 July 2003. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  4. ^ Coustas, Mary (2003). Effie's Guide to Being Up Yourself. Mark McLeod. ISBN 0-7336-1761-1.
  5. ^ Coustas, Mary (2013). All I know: a memoir of love, loss and life. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781743315651.
  6. ^ "Mary Coustas – ABC Conversations with Richard Fidler". ABC.net.au. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  7. ^ "MOLVANIA DISQUALIFIED FROM EUROVISION!". Jetlag Travel. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016.
  8. ^ Genevieve Dwyer (15 April 2016). "13 Times Australia Loved Eurovision Harder Than The Europeans!". sbs.com.au. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  9. ^ "Elektronik Supersonik - Zladko Vladcik | EarBleed.com". www.earbleed.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Mary Coustas". ABC Classic FM. ABC Australia. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  11. ^ Coustas, Mary (22 June 2013). "The children I've never known". Sydney Morning Herald.
  12. ^ "Mother Mary". 60 Minutes. ninemsn. 1 August 2013. Archived from the original on 7 August 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  13. ^ Staff Writers (28 November 2013). "Effie's a mum: Mary Coustas gives birth to baby girl". News Ltd. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  14. ^ Rowlands, Letitia (18 March 2014). "Mary Coustas 'How having a baby changed me'". Essential Baby. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 10 June 2016. The much-loved comedian [...] endured a long and heart-breaking journey to become a mother – firstly to stillborn daughter Stevie in 2011, and then to baby girl Jamie in November last year at age 49.