Maurice Benard
ON SOAP OPERA DIGEST AND WEEKLY ONLINE
SOAP STAR STATS
Maurice Benard (Sonny, GH)
 |
Maurice Benard (Sonny, GH)
— ABC
|
Vital Statistics
- Birthdate:
- March 1
- Spouse:
- Paula (August 11, 1990-present)
- Children:
- Cailey Sophia (b. September 18, 1994), Cassidy Rose (b. April 18, 1999) and Joshua James (b. December 5, 2004)
THE 411
One of daytime's hottest stars, Maurice Benard has endeared himself to audiences as GENERAL HOSPITAL's moody mobster Sonny Corinthos for the past 10 years. Born and raised in San Francisco as Mauricio Morales, Benard's mom hails from El Salvador and his father is from Nicaragua. He began his career in the spotlight as a model in his early 20s; after several years he set his sights on acting and landed his big break as ALL MY CHILDREN's Nico Kelly in 1987. After Nico's front-burner romance with Cecily Davidson, Benard left AMC in '89 and moved to Los Angeles. There, he landed the lead role in the TV movie LUCY & DESI: BEFORE THE LAUGHTER (1991), and roles in films like Ruby and Mi Vida Loca. In 1993, he joined GH as Sonny, a role in which he has truly made his mark. Benard says he draws on his experience with manic depression in his intense performances. The actor, who was diagnosed as bipolar at age 22, is a spokesperson for the National Mental Health Association. He attributes his success to getting proper treatment and the support of his wife, Paula, to whom he has been married for 12 years.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Other Soap Roles
ALL MY CHILDREN (1970) (Nico Kelly (1987-1989))
TV Roles
TO FACE HER PAST (1996) TV (Jesse Molina)
LUCY & DESI: BEFORE THE LAUGHTER (1991) TV (Desi Arnaz)
HER WICKED WAYS (1991) TV (Steve) ... aka LETHAL CHARM (1991) (TV) (USA)
Film Roles
Crystal Clear (2000) (Steven)
Restraining Order (1999) (Germany)
Operation Splitsville (1999) (Frank)
Mi Vida Loca (1993) (Creeper) ... aka My Crazy Life (1993)
Ruby (1992) (Diego)
MEMORABLE QUOTES
"The main thing for me is just working with good actors. I can deal with not-great story and working with good actors, but I can't deal with great story and not-good actors." —Soap Opera Weekly, March 18, 2003
"If I could do this role in a movie, I'd die for it."—on Sonny Corinthos, Weekly, January 30, 1996
"The beautiful thing about acting is the great actors are short. Pacino, DeNiro, Hoffman. When I figured that out, I was like, 'Yes!'" —Weekly, June 7, 1994
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
www.mauricebenard.tv
