Maurice Benard (born March 1, 1963) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actorAn actor or actress 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
Daytime Emmy AwardThe 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....
-winning portrayal of romantic mobster Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. on the
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American 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. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio. The name "soap opera" stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble,...
,
General HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama and is currently credited by the Guiness Book of World Records as being the second longest-running soap opera in production and the second longest running drama in television in production. It premiered on the ABC television network on April...
, a role he has portrayed since 1993.
Born
Mauricio Jose Morales in
Martinez, CaliforniaMartinez is a city in and the county seat of Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 35,866 at the 2000 census. The downtown is notable for its large number of preserved old buildings...
and growing up in San Francisco, Benard is of
NicaraguaNicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua , is a representative democratic republic. It is the largest country in Central America with an area of 130,373 km
2. The country is bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west of...
n and Salvadoran ethnicity. He started his acting career as Nico Kelly on the soap opera
All My ChildrenAll My Children is an American soap opera that has been broadcast Monday through Friday on the ABC TV network since January 5, 1970; repeat episodes air weeknights on SOAPnet. Created by Agnes Nixon, the show is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia...
from 1987 to 1990.
Maurice Benard (born March 1, 1963) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actorAn actor or actress 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
Daytime Emmy AwardThe 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....
-winning portrayal of romantic mobster Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. on the
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American 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. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio. The name "soap opera" stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble,...
,
General HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama and is currently credited by the Guiness Book of World Records as being the second longest-running soap opera in production and the second longest running drama in television in production. It premiered on the ABC television network on April...
, a role he has portrayed since 1993.
Career
Born
Mauricio Jose Morales in
Martinez, CaliforniaMartinez is a city in and the county seat of Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 35,866 at the 2000 census. The downtown is notable for its large number of preserved old buildings...
and growing up in San Francisco, Benard is of
NicaraguaNicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua , is a representative democratic republic. It is the largest country in Central America with an area of 130,373 km
2. The country is bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west of...
n and Salvadoran ethnicity. He started his acting career as Nico Kelly on the soap opera
All My ChildrenAll My Children is an American soap opera that has been broadcast Monday through Friday on the ABC TV network since January 5, 1970; repeat episodes air weeknights on SOAPnet. Created by Agnes Nixon, the show is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia...
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
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
television movie
Lucy & Desi : Before the Laughter, in which he portrayed
Desi ArnazDesi Arnaz was a Cuban-American musician, actor and television producer. He gained international renown for leading a Latino music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra...
. He is now starring in an independent film entitled 'Confession.' Filming began in June of 2009.
Benard has also appeared in several feature films including
RubyRuby 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 LocaMi Vida Loca is a 1994 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 Teenage Drug Customer.-Plot:Mi Vida Loca tells the story of young Mexican-American women in Los...
.
Personal life
Benard and his wife Paula have four children; daughters Cailey Sofia (September 18, 1994), Cassidy Rose (April 8, 1999) and son, Joshua James (December 5, 2004). He and his wife adopted his wife's niece, Heather Smith-Benard, after her mother's death. His cousin,
Marvin BenardMarvin Larry Benard [buh-NARD] is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who batted and threw left-handed....
, plays professional baseball.
Benard was diagnosed with
bipolar disorderBipolar disorder, also known as manic depressive disorder, manic depression or bipolar affective disorder, is a serious mental disorder that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood clinically referred to as mania or, if...
at age 22. He has since become a spokesperson for treatment of the disorder with
Mental Health AmericaMental Health America is a nonprofit organization located in Alexandria, Virginia, dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives, especially individuals living with mental illnesses.With more than 320 affiliated organizations around the country , Mental Health America...
.
Benard and his family lives in Temecula, CA.
Filmography
| Film |
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1992 |
RubyRuby 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 is a 1994 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 Teenage Drug Customer.-Plot:Mi Vida Loca tells the story of young Mexican-American women in Los...
|
Creeper |
Alternative title: My Crazy Life |
| 1999 |
Operation Splitsville |
Frank |
|
| Restraining Order |
Sicko |
|
| 2000 |
Crystal Clear |
Steven |
|
| 2009 |
Confession |
Mitch |
|
| Television |
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 1987-1990 |
All My Children All My Children is an American soap opera that has been broadcast Monday through Friday on the ABC TV network since January 5, 1970; repeat episodes air weeknights on SOAPnet. Created by Agnes Nixon, the show is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia...
|
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 was a Cuban-American musician, actor and television producer. He gained international renown for leading a Latino music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra...
|
Television movie |
| Stat |
Jorge Rosario |
1 episode |
| 1992 |
Dark Justice Dark Justice was an American television series about a judge that turns into a vigilante by night in order to bring to justice high-level offenders that use technicalities to "escape" the legal system...
|
Kelly's Mob Boyfriend |
1 episode |
| 1993-present |
General HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama and is currently credited by the Guiness Book of World Records as being the second longest-running soap opera in production and the second longest running drama in television in production. It premiered on the ABC television network on April...
|
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.- Background :Michael "Sonny"...
|
739 episodes |
| 1996 |
To Face Her Past |
Jesse Molina |
Television movie |
| 2000 |
Port Charles Port Charles is 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 ShiftGeneral 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 The Soap Opera Digest Awards are 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 is an American actress known for her roles in the long-running soap opera General Hospital, Beverly Hills, 90210 and the television series Las Vegas.-Early life:...
) |
| 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 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 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 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 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 |
External links