Effie
Encyclopedia
Mary Coustas
Mary Coustas is an Australian television personality. Originally from Melbourne, Coustas often performs as the character "Effie": a stereotypical second-generation Greek Australian...
. Coustas depicts a stereotypical second-generation Greek Australian
Greek Australian
Greeks are the seventh-largest ethnic group in Australia, after those declaring their ancestry simply as "Australian". In the 2006 census, 365,147 persons declared having Greek ancestry, either alone or in conjunction with another ethnicity....
.
The character originated in the comedy program Acropolis Now
Acropolis Now
Acropolis Now was an Australian sitcom set in a Greek bar of the same name that ran for 63 episodes from 1989 to 1992 on the Seven Network. It was created by Nick Giannopoulos, George Kapiniaris and Simon Palomares, who also starred in the series. They were already quite well known for their comedy...
, which ran from 1989 to 1992. Since then, the character has appeared in Effie, Just Quietly
Effie, Just Quietly
Effie, Just Quietly was a satirical television series that screened on Australia's Special Broadcasting Service in 2001.It featured the iconoclastic Effie, played by Mary Coustas...
(2001), and hosting the short-lived 2003 talk show Greeks On The Roof
Greeks on the Roof
Greeks on the Roof was an Australian television talk show that ran for 11 episodes on the Seven Network in 2003. It was hosted by Greek-Australian character Effie and her "family"....
(based on the British series The Kumars at No. 42
The Kumars at No. 42
The Kumars at No. 42 was a British television show. It won an International Emmy in 2002 and in 2003. It ran for seven series totalling 53 episodes.-Plot:...
) in character with other actors playing her family. She has also appeared in a number of television commercials (most recently for AAPT
AAPT
AAPT is Australia's third largest land line telecommunications company and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telecom New Zealand. The company is a member of the Infrastructure Assurance Advisory Group for the Critical Infrastructure Protection branch of the Attorney-General's...
).
Effie's catchphrases include "How embarrassment!" in response to any potentially embarrassing situation. She greets people with "Hello, good thanks" before they have even asked her how she is feeling.
In 1992, Effie released a novelty single
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
: a duet with another fictional character, Garry McDonald
Garry McDonald
Garry George McDonald, AO is an Australian stage and screen actor.-Early life and career:McDonald was born in Sydney and was educated at Cranbrook School and National Institute of Dramatic Art....
's Norman Gunston
Norman Gunston
Norman Gunston was a satirical TV character performed by Australian actor and comedian Garry McDonald. Norman Gunston was primarily well known in his native Australia, and to a lesser extent, the United States during the mid to late 1970s.- Early years :...
, recording their version of Andrew Lloyd-Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's "Amigos Para Siempre
Amigos Para Siempre
"Amigos Para Siempre " or "Amics per sempre" is a song written for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The music was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber...
", the official song of the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
(originally performed by Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
and José Carreras
José Carreras
Josep Maria Carreras i Coll , better known as José Carreras , is a Spanish Catalan tenor particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini...
). The single reached the Top 20 chart in Australia.
Coustas wrote a book based on the character: Effie’s Guide to Being Up Yourself (ISBN 0-7336-1761-1), published in September 2003 by Mark McLeod Books.