# Maria Mercedes (actress)

Maria Moutsidis (Greek: Μαρία Μουτσίδη, romanized: María Moutsídi), known professionally as Maria Mercedes, is a Greek-descended Australian television, film and stage actress, performer, singer, she is a mezzo soprano Her notable roles include the original Australian productions of the musicals Nine, Sunset Boulevard and Love Never Dies.
Mercedes was born in Melbourne to parent's George and Dionisia Moutsidis
In 2014/15, Mercedes played opera star Maria Callas in the Terrence McNally play Master Class in Melbourne and the Hayes Sydney.
In 2016, she joined the cast of the Greek-Australian migration play Taxithi by Helen Yotis Patterson, allowing her, for the first time in her theatrical career, to sing in Greek.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1978 | Patrick | Nurse Panicale (as Maria Mercedes) | Feature film |
| 1998 | Head On | Tasia | Feature film |
| 2004 | Dreams for Life | Ellen | Feature film |
| 2012 | Love Never Dies | Madame Giry | Feature film |
| 2013 | Patrick | Ed's Doctor | Feature film (remake) |
| 2019 | The Taverna | Helen | Feature film |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1973 | Young Talent Time | Contestant (singing "This Is My Life") (as Maria Moutsidis) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1973 | New Faces | Contestant (as Maria Moutsidis) | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1973; 1975 | The Graham Kennedy Show | Performer / singer (as Maria Moutsidis / Maria Mercedes) | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1974-1975 | The Ernie Sigley Show | Regular performer / singer | TV series, 11 episodes |
| 1974 | Ted Hamilton's Musical World | Singer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1974; 1975 | Division 4 | Factory Girl / Christina Lamorica | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1974 | The Bert Newton Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1975 | Australian Popular Song Festival | Singer / performer | TV special |
| 1975 | Homicide | Francesca Carlotti / Anna Petrelli | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1975 | Young Talent Time | Guest performer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1976 | Bandstand '76 | Singer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1977 | Bluey | Teresa | TV series, episode 18: "Stop the Press" |
| 1977 | Six Tonight | Guest | TV special |
| 1978 | Cop Shop | Judy | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1978 | The Don Lane Show | Singer / performer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1978 | The Peter Couchman Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1978 | Something Special | Herself | TV special |
| 1979 | Patrol Boat | | TV series, 1 episode: "Which Way's Mecca?" |
| 1979; 1984-1985 | Prisoner | Irene Zervos | TV series, 5 episodes |
| 1979-1984 | The Mike Walsh Show | Regular singer / performer | TV series, 9 episodes |
| 1981 | Countdown | Herself - Band | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1982; 1984 | Young Talent Time | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1984 | Special Squad | | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1984-1985 | Prisoner | Yemmi Bakarta | TV series, 10 episodes |
| 1985 | Daryl Somers' Blankety Blanks | Panelist | TV series, 5 episodes |
| 1985-1993 | The Midday Show | Regular singer / performer | TV series |
| 1988 | The Early Bird Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1988-1989 | The Bert Newton Show | Regular performer | TV series, 8 episodes |
| 1988 | Hey Hey It's Saturday | Herself (singing "My Husband Makes Movies") | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1988 | Today | Guest (with John Diedrich & Tina Arena) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1988 | Late Night Oz | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1989 | In Melbourne Today | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1989 | Hey Hey It's Saturday | Herself (singing "I Know Him So Well" with Jodie Gillies) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1991 | Hey Hey It's Saturday | Herself (singing "Promises, Promises" with Jackie Rees) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1991 | Review | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1991 | Saturday Tonight | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1992 | English at Work | Herself | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1993 | E Street | Shirley Maclaine | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 1993 | New Faces | Guest judge | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1994-2003 | Good Morning Australia | Guest / singer / performer | TV series |
| 1995 | Cody: The Wrong Stuff | Raquel | TV movie |
| 1996; 1997 | Midday with Kerri-Anne | Guest / singer | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 1996; 1997 | Monday to Friday | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1996 | Whipping Boy | Saphra (as Maria Mercedes) | TV movie |
| 1997 | Sale of the Century | Contestant | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1997 | What's Cooking | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1999 | Thunderstone | Ivana | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1999; 2000 | Denise | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Greeks on the Roof | Herself | TV series, 11 episodes |
| 2004-2005; 2007 | Neighbours | Lucia Cammeniti | TV series, 16 episodes |
| 2007 | Kick | Dora Mavros | TV miniseries, 13 episodes |
| 2012 | Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries | Madame Breda (as Maria Mercedes) | TV series, 1 episode: "Cocaine Blues" |
| 2013 | House Husbands | Mrs. Panas | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2014 | Fat Tony & Co | Agape Makrakanis | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2014 | The Daily Edition | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2015 | Footballer Wants a Wife | Mama | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2017-2018 | Wentworth | Detective Ayoub (as Maria Mercedes) | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 2018 | All Together Now | Guest judge | TV series |
| 2019 | The Artiste | Guest | Podcast series, 1 episode |
| 2019 | Bloom | Margot | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries | Joyce Hirsch | TV series, 1 episode: "Just Murdered" |
| 2021 | Talking Prisoner | Herself | Podcast series, 1 episode |
| 2022 | The Tourist | Freddie Lanagan | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Neighbours | Estelle Petrides | TV series, 6 episodes |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Venue / Company |
| 1980 ' | Maria Mercedes | Herself | Palais Royale, Newcastle |
| 1985 | The Rocky Horror Show | Magenta / Usherette | Burnie Theatre, Princess Theatre, Launceston, Glenorchy Entertainment Centre, Canberra Theatre, Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre, Albury Civic Theatre, Wangaratta Town Hall, Shepparton Civic Centre, West Gippsland Arts Centre, Ballarat Memorial Theatre |
| 1988 | Cats | Grizabella | Her Majesty’s Theatre Melbourne with Cameron Macintosh Production |
| 1987-88 | Nine | Luisa Contini | Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Festival Theatre, Adelaide, Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney |
| 1990 | Chess | Svetlana Sergievsky | Theatre Royal, Sydney |
| 1991 | Forbidden Broadway | | Kinselas, Sydney |
| 1991 | Wherefore Art Thou Cabaret? | | Hayden Room, Sydney |
| 1992 | Shadow and Splendour | Sophie Lenz / Mozart singer | Suncorp Theatre, Brisbane for Queensland Theatre Company & STCSA |
| 1993 | A Bedfull of Foreigners | | West End Rialto, Brisbane, Seymour Centre, Playhouse Adelaide |
| 1996 | And the World Goes ‘Round | | Sydney Opera House |
| 1996 | Sunset Boulevard | Norma Desmond | Regent Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1997 | A One Night Stand with the Stars of Australian Musical Theatre | Singer | Melbourne Athenaeum |
| 1999 | Zorba the Greek | The Leader | Capitol Theatre, Sydney |
| 2000 | Gypsy | Miss Mazeppa | State Theatre, Melbourne for The Production Company |
| 2000 | Chicago | Mama Morton | Her Majesty’s Theatre Melbourne, Lyric Theatre, QPAC & Asian tour |
| 2001 | The Vagina Monologues | | |
| 2000/02 | Fame | Miss Sherman | Adelaide Festival Theatre and Asian Tour |
| 2004 | The Rocky Horror Show (charity show for "Variety") | Dr Frankenfurter | with the cast of Neighbours |
| 2006/07 | Seriously - Pet Shop Boys Reinterpreted | The Wife | Chapel Off Chapel for Midsumma Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival |
| 2008–10 | Menopause The Musical | Power Woman / The Soap Star | Playhouse, Canberra, The Q, Queanbeyan, Melbourne Athenaeum, Playhouse Darwin, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide, Playhouse Perth, Chaffey Theatre Renmark, Nautilus Theatre Port Lincoln, Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre, Northern Festival Centre, Middleback Theatre, Hopgood Theatre, Noarlunga Centre |
| 2010 | Words and Music from Life's a Circus & More | | Notes, Newtown |
| 2012 | Love Never Dies (sequel to Phantom of the Ooera) | Madame Giry | Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Regent Theatre, Melbourne |
| 2013 | The Songs of James Bond concert | Singer | Melbourne Athenaeum |
| 2014/15/16 | Master Class | Maria Callas | Fortyfivedownstairs, Hayes Theatre Sydney, Geelong Arts Centre, Whitehorse Centre, Frankston Arts Centre. |
| 2017 | Greek Goddess | Melina Mercouri | Black Box Theatre, Upwey, Gasworks Theatre, Melbourne |
| 2016/19 | Taxithi - An Australian Odyssey | The Greek Fate | Fortyfivedownstairs, Space Theatre, Adelaide |
| 2019–20 | Anthem | | Playhouse, Melbourne, Roslyn Packer Theatre with Performing Lines for Melbourne International Arts Festival & Sydney Festival |
| 2023 | Bloom | Betty / Chef | Playhouse, Melbourne with Melbourne Theatre Company |
| 2023 | Into the Woods | The Witch | West Australian Opera |
| 2024 | Candide | Old Lady | Palais Theatre |