Despina Caldis

**Despina Caldis** portrays Effie Poulos in 55 episodes of *Heartbreak High*.

She was born and raised on May 10, 1982 in Sydney, Australia to Sue Marie Shaw, a preschool teacher, and Jim Caldis, a automobile mechanic. She has a sister named Ana-Marie, a brother named Larenz, aunt Joan, uncle Peter, and stepsister-in-law Mandie. Caldis was only 2 years old when the pair split.

She began acting at 6 years old with the PBS fantasy hit series *The Last Pegasus*, ran from 1988 to 1990. A year later, when Despina she was almost 9, she competed for LeAnn Rhimes, Destiny's Child, and among others in her first reality TV appearance as a finalist of the children's reality competition music show *Star Search.* After that, she moved on to appear in television and films for her roles, such as Chelsea in *Barney and Friends* from 1992 to 1993, the same year's *The Secret Life Of Magical Butterflies* as Lillie, who enjoyed her magical moments with some glowing butterflies, and 1996's *The Blue-Eyed Daisy*, adapted from the book by Cynthia Rylant, as aborted pregnant teen Ella Farley, whose her father drank too much in a severe accident.

Also in 1996, she played Roxie in the Lifetime crime thriller *Nowhere To Hide* with an all-star cast, including Kip Weeks, Seth Green, Michelle Williams, Jaimie Ray Newman, and others.

Like her character, Caldis was 15 years old when filming on the show, who had based for the 1999 hit *Eating Air*, began.

She was written off *Heartbreak High* in 1995, disappearing entirely without explanation. The writers allegedly admitted in interviews that they "forgot" about her character.

In 2000, she played sorority member Tana Lynn in the psychology soul-survivor thriller *What I Found*.

Also in 2000, after graduating as a senior at Australia International High School, she dropped off her indie label demo album *The Demos*, with cover songs such as Garth Brooks's "To Make You Feel My Love" and Sarah McLachlan's "Angel".

Caldis retired from acting, however made a final appearance on *Home & Away* in 2001, playing Ada Nicodemou's childhood friend, but returned to acting in two films in the same year: Susie Lee, a girl pop band guitarist in *Pop Quiz Of Heat* and Abigail, the young daughter of the modern Victorian family in *Can't Be Tamed.* She also appeared as high school junior Cassidy in 2002's *Too Young, Too Late*.

In 1993, she had her first Tony Award for her Broadway musical performance with *Angels Of America.* Then, she won as the first Miss Golden Globe at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2002 and appeared in other films like 2004's *Shutter,* who won in 2006 at the Academy Awards as Best Picture along Paul Haggis-directed film *Crash.*

Despina's other awards and red carpet attendances since 1989 for The Emmys, Juno Awards, Grammy Awards, MTV VMA Awards, CMA Awards, movie festivals, screenings, premieres, radio stations, and more followed.

In March 2003, she released her debut album, *Thankful,* with a no. 1 hit "Miss Independent", and singles like "Low", and "The Trouble With Love Is" reached the Billboard charts.

In November 2004, a year later, RCA releases Despina's second album, *Breakaway*, to hit the lineup for smash singles such as "Since U Been Gone", "Behind These Hazel Eyes", who both wrote by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, "Because Of You", written by Evanescence's Ben Moody and David Hodges, and "Walk Away".

She played Sydnee, a soul searching abducted victim and onscreen nemesis to Naomi Watts, in the 2005 horror hit *The Ring Two*, who, according to the sequel for the 2002's first installment, became the reboot for the 1999 Japanese version.

In 2006, she played Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor in the inspired true story romance hit *The Secret Love Story of Elizabeth Taylor*.

Then, in 2007, she played Vanna O'Neill, ex-girlfriend of Eric O'Neill and close friend to Eric's wife Juliana O'Neill, in the faux crime thriller *Breach,* based on the security breach of the U.S. History.

In May 2007, her third album, *My December,* was released with the songwriting help of Jimmy Messer and Evanescence members John LeCompt and recurred Moody and Hodges. Her single, "Never Again" reached up for a Grammy nomination. Other tracks which include "Don't Waste Your Time", "One Minute", and "Sober" blasted through radio stations.

Despina has appeared in notable and recent films, including playing punky house neighbor Danielle in 2008 Disney hit comedy College Road Trip and tattooed witness / ex-stripper Rosalind Fairhope in 2011 thriller drama The Truth Is.., directed by Gary Fielder.

In April 2009, after the controversial blaming to sue Messer, she released the fourth album *All I Ever Wanted*, whose singles like "My Life Would Suck Without You", with new songwriters including Ryan Tedder, David Bendeth, Sean Kingston, and Katy Perry.

In November 2011, *Stronger,* her fifth album, was released with singles "Mr. Know It All", "Domino", and "Dark Side", and Charles Kelley collaboration "Don't You Wanna Stay".

A year later, her singles "Catch My Breath", "People Like Us" and "Don't Rush" reached up for *Greatest Hits Chapter One* in November 2012.

She has mainly appeared in a 2013 Christmas special via home video, *Despina Caldis's Magic Christmas On Broadway And Other Echanted Holiday Stories*, who was based for her holiday album *Wrapped In Red,* similar to *Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale* and Disney's *Frozen*.

In March 2015, she released *Piece By Piece*, her last album in RCA, reaching over hits like "Heartbeat Song" "Invincible" and "Piece By Piece".

She had appeared other TV series appearances since 2001, including *Goliath*, where she played the part as Anna Beasley from 2016 to 2018, the 19th-century period short film *Across The Line* (2017) as Claire and Hallmark Channel hit *Christmas is Cancelled* (2021) as Amber.

In November 2017, her eighth album, the first appearance via Atlantic Records, has titled *Meaning Of Life.*

In June 2023, post-divorce, she dropped off her ninth album called *Chemistry*. Her singles "mine" and "me" both released in March of the same year.

She guest-voiced as Gwen Stephenwolf in the rare January 2003 episode of F*amily Guy*.

In March 2006, she had rarely guest-starred for a special appearance in a musical performance segment on PBS's children's TV series *Between The Lions.*

Despina was a vocalizing pop princess with her singing notes (A2 through E7) to pop, R&B, folk, jazz, gospel, and soft/hard rock artists' cover hit songs and her official unreleased tracks by sensational success since she was 10 and performed at-home and other located tour shows in times.

She was featured in a rare collaboration on Lifehouse's leaked hit single "Pictures", originally by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow, from the 2003 album *Stanley Climbfall.*

She had interviews and talk show appearances since 1993, including *The Tonight Show, Total Request Live, Today, Good Morning America,* *The View, The Late Late Show* and many more. She also appeared with an all-star Mr. & Ms. Golden Globe ambassador cast for the 2006 musical sensation episode of *Showtime At The Apollo,* hosted by Steve Harvey, for the 20th anniversary celebration special.

She had appeared to star for main roles in most film references via videocassette, such as *The Powerpuff Girls* as Blossom, *Legally Blonde* films (2001-2003) as Elle Woods, *Vanity Fair* (2004) as Rebecca Sharp, *Scary Movie* franchise (2000-2006), and *Water For Elephants* (2011) as Jill, and wrote illustrated poetry stories to children in November 2016, ever since welcoming her second child and first son in May. She was the cheerleading-dressed cosplay member for *High School Musical*-era 2006 Met Gala: All-American Golden Globe Sport Camp.

In *Vanity Fair,* a dark fairy-tale fantasy drama based for 1992's *Beauty and The Beast* and originally before 2006's *La Belle Bete*, she played Rebecca, a long lost twin sister of Becky Sharp who lived in downtown lands of London with ugliness, love, fate, and tragedy, winds up being pregnant and welcoming her children and fears away from the fallen timeless story.

She hosted and judged with other reality competitions and game shows since becoming a young runner-up of *Star Search,* including *The Hollywood Idol Duets*, from March to August 2012, and *Lifestyle Trivia Star*, from February 2018 to December 2021 and returned in 2023

Despina was the goddaughter of legendary actress and classic country music queen Catherine Bach and became a stepmom to Poppy Jade Einzinger (born July 2, 2001) and Owen Luke Einzinger (born August 24, 2006).

In April 2001, Despina revealed on *People* that she had a vaginal bleeding by accident that she got recovered with a scar tissue.

In November 2002, she debuted her Breaking Benjamin symbol tattoo in her back of her neck. She also had her piercings on her tongue, nose, eyebrows, and lip all in one from June 2001 to March 2007.

On July 12, 2004, Despina had suffered a painful miscarriage at 19 weeks going into early labor after hours of sleep at home before she went to the hospital by ambulance for a exotic stillbirth carrying her unborn child. She fell hard to love for Incubus musician Mike Einzinger during the Oscars arrivals in February 2012, became engaged in December of the same year, and welcomed two children; daughter Stella Rose, born via emergency C-section on June 16, 2014, and son Liam Wyatt, born via vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) on May 14, 2016. The couple split in June 2021.

She became the girlfriend-roleplaying pal of actor and her *Breach* costar Ryan Phillippe with their parenting relationship from June 1999 to January 2012.