Maurice Benard
Encyclopedia
Maurice Benard is an American
actor
. He is known primarily for his portrayal of romantic mobster Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. on the ABC
soap opera
, General Hospital
, a role he has portrayed since 1993.
and growing up in San Francisco, California
, Benard is of Salvadoran and Nicaragua
n ethnicity. He started his acting career as Nico on the soap opera All My Children
from 1987 to 1990. In addition to guest spots on several television series during the early 1990s, Benard also appeared in television movies including the 1991 CBS
television movie Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter, in which he portrayed Desi Arnaz
. He is now starring in an independent film entitled Confession. Filming began in June 2009.
Benard has also appeared in several feature films including Ruby
(1992) and Mi Vida Loca
.
, played professional baseball.
Benard was diagnosed with bipolar disorder
at age 22. He has since become a spokesperson for treatment of the disorder with Mental Health America. His character, Sonny Corinthos, also suffers from the disorder.
Benard and his family live in Temecula, California
along with their many pets.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is known primarily for his portrayal of romantic mobster Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
, a role he has portrayed since 1993.
Career
Born Mauricio Jose Morales in Martinez, CaliforniaMartinez, California
Martinez is a city and the county seat of Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 35,824 at the 2010 census. The downtown is notable for its large number of preserved old buildings...
and growing up in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, Benard is of Salvadoran and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n ethnicity. He started his acting career as Nico on the soap opera All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
from 1987 to 1990. In addition to guest spots on several television series during the early 1990s, Benard also appeared in television movies including the 1991 CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television movie Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter, in which he portrayed Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
. He is now starring in an independent film entitled Confession. Filming began in June 2009.
Benard has also appeared in several feature films including Ruby
Ruby (film)
Ruby is a feature film, released in the United States on March 27, 1992, about Jack Ruby, the Dallas, Texas nightclub owner who shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald in the basement garage of a Dallas city police station in 1963. The film was directed by John Mackenzie and stars Danny Aiello , Sherilyn...
(1992) and Mi Vida Loca
Mi Vida Loca
Mi Vida Loca is a 1993 American drama film directed and written by Allison Anders. This film includes Jason Lee's first performance as an actor in a small role alongside director Spike Jonze as a drug buyer....
.
Personal life
Benard married Paula Smith on August 11, 1990. They have four children; daughters Cailey Sofia (born September 18, 1994), Cassidy Rose (born April 18, 1999) and son, Joshua James (born December 5, 2004). He and his wife adopted his wife's adopted sister, after her mother's death. His cousin, Marvin BenardMarvin Benard
Marvin Larry Benard [buh-NARD] is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who batted and threw left-handed....
, played professional baseball.
Benard was diagnosed with bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
at age 22. He has since become a spokesperson for treatment of the disorder with Mental Health America. His character, Sonny Corinthos, also suffers from the disorder.
Benard and his family live in Temecula, California
Temecula, California
Temecula is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States with a population of 100,097 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it the lowest populated American city over 100,000 population. It was incorporated on December 1, 1989...
along with their many pets.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | Ruby Ruby (film) Ruby is a feature film, released in the United States on March 27, 1992, about Jack Ruby, the Dallas, Texas nightclub owner who shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald in the basement garage of a Dallas city police station in 1963. The film was directed by John Mackenzie and stars Danny Aiello , Sherilyn... |
Diego | |
| 1993 | Mi Vida Loca Mi Vida Loca Mi Vida Loca is a 1993 American drama film directed and written by Allison Anders. This film includes Jason Lee's first performance as an actor in a small role alongside director Spike Jonze as a drug buyer.... |
Creeper | Alternative title: My Crazy Life |
| 1999 | Operation Splitsville | Frank | |
| Restraining Order | Sicko | ||
| 2000 | Crystal Clear | Steven | |
| 2009 | Confession | Mitch | |
| 2010 | The Penny | The Penny (voice) | Independent Film |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987–1990 | All My Children All My Children All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most... |
Nico Kelly | Unknown episodes |
| 1990 | DEA | Curro | 1 episode |
| 1991 | Her Wicked Ways | Steve | Television movie Alternative title: Lethal Charm |
| Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter | Desi Arnaz Desi Arnaz Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to... |
Television movie | |
| Stat | Jorge Rosario | 1 episode | |
| 1992 | Dark Justice Dark Justice The series began airing in 1991 and ran for three seasons finishing in 1993.Tagline: "Justice may be blind... but it can see in the dark."- Production and filming :... |
Kelly's Mob Boyfriend | 1 episode |
| 1993–present | General Hospital General Hospital General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns.... |
Sonny Corinthos Sonny Corinthos Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera General Hospital. Maurice Benard has played the role, that of a manic depressive Mob boss living in Port Charles, since the character's storyline originated on August 13, 1993... |
739 episodes |
| 1996 | To Face Her Past | Jesse Molina | Television movie |
| 2000 | Port Charles Port Charles Port Charles was a daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from June 2, 1997 to October 3, 2003. It is a spin-off of the serial General Hospital, which has been running since 1963 and takes place in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York... |
Sonny Corinthos | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | General Hospital: Night Shift General Hospital: Night Shift General Hospital: Night Shift is an American prime time serial that first aired on SOAPnet for a 13-episode run from July 12, 2007 to October 4, 2007. A spin-off of the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital, the show is SOAPnet's first original scripted drama series and follows the nighttime... |
Sonny Corinthos | 1 episode |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Soap Opera Digest Awards Soap Opera Digest Awards The Soap Opera Digest Awards were an awards show held by the daytime television magazine Soap Opera Digest. The awards were founded in 1984 to replace the less-lavish Soapy Award; those awards shows had run since 1977. The Soap Opera Digest Awards are meant to promote excellence in the soap opera... |
Nominated | Outstanding Male Newcomer: Daytime | All My Children |
| 1995 | Hottest Soap Couple | General Hospital (Shared with Vanessa Marcil Vanessa Marcil Vanessa Marcil is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Brenda Barrett Corinthos on General Hospital, Gina Kincaid on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Sam Marquez on Las Vegas.... ) |
||
| 1996 | Won | Outstanding Lead Actor | General Hospital | |
| 2000 | Favorite Actor | |||
| 2001 | Nominated | Favorite Couple | General Hospital (Shared with Sarah Brown) | |
| 2003 | Won | Outstanding Lead Actor | General Hospital | |
| 2005 | Outstanding Lead Actor | |||
| 1996 | Daytime Emmy Award Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming... |
Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974.In the lists below, the winner of the award for each year is shown first, followed by the other nominees.... |
General Hospital |
| 1997 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys since the 6th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony in 1979.... |
|||
| 2003 | Won | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | ||
| 2004 | Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | ||
| 2006 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | |||
| 2000 | ALMA Award Alma Award The American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field... |
Nominated | Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Soap Opera | General Hospital |
| 2001 | Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama | |||
| 2002 | Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama | |||
| 2008 | Outstanding Performance in a Daytime Drama Series |