Maurice Benard
Maurice Benard | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mauricio José Morales March 1, 1963 San Francisco, CA, U.S. |
| Other names | Maurice Bénard |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse(s) | Paula Smith (m. 1990) |
| Children | 4 |
| Website | mauricebenard |
Maurice Benard (born March 1, 1963) is an American actor. In 1993, he was cast as Sonny Corinthos on the ABC soap opera General Hospital.
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, and is of Nicaraguan ancestry.
He started his acting career as Nico on the soap opera All My Children, 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.
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. He also starred in the independent film The Ghost and the Whale, executive produced by his wife Paula.[1]
Personal life[]
Benard married Paula Smith on August 11, 1990.[2] 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.[3]
His cousin, Marvin Benard, played professional baseball.[4]
Benard was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 22. He has become a spokesperson for treatment of the disorder with Mental Health America.[5] 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.
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.[6]
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Her Wicked Ways | Steve | Television film |
| 1991 | Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter | Desi Arnaz | Television film |
| 1992 | Ruby | Diego | |
| 1993 | Mi Vida Loca | Creeper | |
| 1996 | To Face Her Past | Jesse Molina | Television film |
| 1999 | Operation Splitsville | Frank | |
| 1999 | Restraining Order | Sicko | |
| 2000 | Crystal Clear | Steven | |
| 2009 | Confession | Mitch | |
| 2010 | The Penny | The Penny | Voice |
| 2015 | The Ghost and the Whale | Joseph Hawthorne | Television film |
| 2015 | Joy | Jared | |
| 2019 | Victoria Gotti: My Father's daughter | John Gotti | Lifetime movie |
| 2019 | [7] | Peter Duran | Feature film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–1989 | All My Children | Nico Kelly | 300 episodes Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Male Newcomer: Daytime |
| 1990 | DEA | Curro | Episode: "Bloodsport" |
| 1991 | Stat | Jorge Rosario | Episode: "Ladyfinger" |
| 1992 | Dark Justice | Kelly's Mob Boyfriend | Episode: "Anniversary" |
| 1993–present | General Hospital | Sonny Corinthos | Series regular |
| 2000 | Port Charles | Sonny Corinthos | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | General Hospital: Night Shift | Sonny Corinthos | Episode: "Time Served" |
| 2016 | Castle | Episode: "Dead Again" |
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Hospital | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
| Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Lead Actor | Won | ||
| Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Won | |||
| Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Lead Actor | Won | ||
| Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Lead Actor | Won | ||
| Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Nominated | ||||
| Won | ||||
| Won |
References[]
- ^ Bowe, Jillian. "General Hospital's Maurice Benard Shooting a New Movie". Daytime Confidential. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- ^ Blodgett, Lucy (April 27, 2011). "PHOTOS: Soap Star Maurice Benard's Home For $2.9 Million". HuffPost. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "Maurice Benard adopts 15-year-old sister-in-law". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ TiffanyR (May 12, 2019). "Fun Facts About General Hospital's Emmy Winning Maurice Benard". TVOvermind. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "General Hospital Video Clips". ABC. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
- ^ "2019 Daytime Emmys: Jacqueline MacInnes Wood earns first Emmy, while Maurice Benard earns number two". soapcentral.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ Eades, Chris (December 4, 2019). "Maurice Benard Previews His New Movie, 'Hold On' (EXCLUSIVE)". Soaps In Depth. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
External links[]
- 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