"Effie" (full character name "Effie Stephanidis") is an outrageous comedic character played by Australian actress Mary Coustas. Coustas depicts a stereotypical second-generation Greek Australian.
The character originated in the 1980s comedy program Acropolis Now. Since then, the character has appeared on a number of television commercials (most recently for AAPT) and Coustas hosted a short lived and unpopular talk show called Greeks On The Roof (based on the British series The Kumars at No. 42) in character with other actors playing her family.
Some of Effie's catchphrases include "How embarrassment!" in response to any situation where embarrassment potentially presented itself. She also greets people with "Hello, Good Thanks" before they have even asked her how she is feeling.
In 1992, Effie released a novelty single: a duet with another fictional character, Garry McDonald's Norman Gunston, recording their version of Andrew Lloyd-Webber's "Amigos Para Siempre", the official song of the 1992 Summer Olympics (originally performed by Sarah Brightman and José Carreras). 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.
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