Mary Coustas
| Mary Coustas | |
|---|---|
|
Coustas at the Killing Them Softly Australian Premiere in September 2012 | |
| Birth name | Mary Coustas |
| Born |
16 September 1964 Melbourne, Australia |
| Medium | Film and television actress |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Years active | 1989-present |
| Spouse | George Betsis (m. 2005) 1 child |
| Children | 1 |
| Notable works and roles |
Acropolis Now (1989 - 1992) Greeks on the Roof (2003) |
| Website | http://marycoustas.com.au/ |
Mary Coustas (Greek: Μαρία Κούστας; born 16 September 1964) is an Australian actress, comedian and television personality. 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 was in the comedy stage show Wogs Out of Work alongside Nick Giannopoulos, George Kapiniaris and Simon Palomares.
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 peculiar, short-lived talk show called Greeks On The Roof in 2003.[2]
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.
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.[3]
In her 2013 memoir All I know: a memoir of love, loss and life,[4] Coustas looked back over her career, and reflected on the lives and deaths of her father, grandmother and daughter.[5]
Personal life
Coustas was born in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood.[6]
Coustas married George Betsis in 2005. On 10 May 2011, Coustas gave birth to her first child, Stevie who was stillborn. Coustas has previously suffered a miscarriage.[7][8]
In August 2013, Coustas and her husband announced in an interview with 60 Minutes[7] that she was 22 weeks pregnant and expecting their second child in early December 2013. Their daughter Jamie was born on 28 November 2013.[9][10]
References
- ↑ Speaker Profile Of Mary Coustas
- ↑ "AAPT thinks Effie's in touch with her publics". Age. Fairfax. 10 July 2003. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
- ↑ Coustas, Mary (2003). Effie's Guide to Being Up Yourself. Mark McLeod. ISBN 0-7336-1761-1.
- ↑ Coustas, Mary (2013). All I know: a memoir of love, loss and life. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781743315651.
- ↑ "Mary Coustas - ABC Conversations with Richard Fidler". ABC.net.au. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ↑ "Mary Coustas". ABC Classic FM. ABC Australia. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- 1 2 "Mother Mary". 60 Minutes. ninemsn. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ↑ Coustas, Mary (22 June 2013). "The children I've never known". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ↑ Staff, Writers (28 November 2013). "Effie's a mum: Mary Coustas gives birth to baby girl". News Ltd. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ↑ 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.