Maurice Benard

Maurice Benard
Born	Mauricio Jose Morales March 1, 1963 (1963-03-01) Martinez, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1987–present
Spouse	Paula Smith (1990-present)
Website
http://www.mauricebenard.tv

Maurice Benard (born March 1, 1963) 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.

Biography

Career

Born Mauricio Jose Morales in Martinez, California and growing up in San Francisco, California, Benard is of Salvadoran and Nicaraguan 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.

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 Benard, 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.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1992	Ruby	Diego
1993	Mi Vida Loca	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	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	Television movie
	Stat	Jorge Rosario	1 episode
1992	Dark Justice	Kelly's Mob Boyfriend	1 episode
1993–present	General Hospital	Sonny Corinthos	739 episodes
1996	To Face Her Past	Jesse Molina	Television movie
2000	Port Charles	Sonny Corinthos	2 episodes
2007	General Hospital: Night Shift	Sonny Corinthos	1 episode

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Series
1989	Soap Opera Digest Awards	Nominated	Outstanding Male Newcomer: Daytime	All My Children
1995			Hottest Soap Couple	General Hospital (Shared with Vanessa Marcil)
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	Nominated	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series	General Hospital
1997			Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
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	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

• Official website
• Maurice Benard at the Internet Movie Database