Maurice Benard (born March 1, 1963) is an American actor. In 1993, he was cast as
Sonny Corinthos on the
ABC soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...
''
General Hospital
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the longest-running American soap opera in production, and the second in American history after '' ...
''.
Early life and career
Benard was born Mauricio José Morales in
Martinez, California, the son of Martha, a bank employee, and Humberto Morales, a bakery superintendent. He grew up in
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
, and is of Nicaraguan ancestry.
He started his acting career as Nico on the soap opera ''
All My Children
''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...
'', from 1987 to 1990.
He then began appearing on ''General Hospital'', a daytime soap opera on ABC. His role on the show was the fictionalized
Sonny Corinthos, a manic depressive mobster King pin. His first air date on ''GH'' was August 13, 1993. Benard has been nominated for several Daytime Emmy awards for his role of Sonny Corinthos,winning Outstanding Lead Actor in 2003, 2019, and 2021, as well as winning three
Soap Opera Digest Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in 1996, 2003, and 2005.
In addition to guest spots on several television series during the early 1990s, Benard appeared in television movies including the
CBS television movie ''
Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter'' (1991), in which he portrayed
Desi Arnaz
Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', in which he c ...
. He also starred in the independent film ''
The Ghost and the Whale'', executive produced by his wife Paula.
Personal life
Benard married Paula Smith on August 11, 1990. They have four children: three daughters and one son. He and his wife adopted his wife's younger sister Heather, after their mother's death.
His cousin,
Marvin Benard, played professional baseball.
Benard was diagnosed with
bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevat ...
at age 22. He has become a spokesperson for treatment of the disorder with Mental Health America.
He made the decision to have the ''General Hospital'' writers make his character, Sonny Corinthos, also have the disorder. Many of the struggles he faces on the show due to the disorder are ones he faced in his own life. Much praise has been given to the show for the realistic depiction.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Benard, Maurice
1963 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American people of Nicaraguan descent
American people of Salvadoran descent
Hispanic and Latino American male actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male soap opera actors
Daytime Emmy Award winners
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winners
Male actors from San Francisco
People from Temecula, California
People with bipolar disorder
Fictional teenage parents