Maurice Benard | |
---|---|
Born | Mauricio José Morales March 1, 1963 Martinez, California, U.S. |
Other names | Maurice Bénard |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1987–present |
Spouse | Paula Smith (m. 1990) |
Children | 4, including Joshua |
Relatives | Marvin Benard (cousin) |
Website | mauricebenard |
Maurice Benard (born March 1, 1963) [1] is an American actor. He played Nico Kelly in the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children from 1987 to 1990 and in 1991 portrayed Desi Arnaz in the biographical television film Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter . In 1993, Benard began starring as Sonny Corinthos in the ABC soap opera General Hospital . For his role in General Hospital, Benard received three Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
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 and Salvadoran ancestry. [2]
In 1980s, he began career as a model before acting. [3] In 1987, Benard made his television debut playing Nico Kelly in the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children , a role he played until 1990. [3] He received Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Male Newcomer: Daytime in 1989. [4] He later made guest appearances in prime time shows include DEA , Stat and Dark Justice . In 1991, Benard appeared in a supporting role in the made-for-television movie Her Wicked Ways and later that year played Desi Arnaz in the biographical television film Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter opposite Frances Fisher. [3] The following year he made his big screen debut appearing in the biographical drama film, Ruby and later had secondary role in the 1993 independent film Mi Vida Loca . [2]
In 1993, Benard was cast as Sonny Corinthos, a manic depressive mobster kingpin in the ABC daytime soap opera, General Hospital . His first air date on GH was August 13, 1993. Initially, the character was only supposed to last for six months as Benard was not interested in anything more than a year. He revealed that after his stint on All My Children, he was not interested in doing another soap. [5] He joined the cast of General Hospital because he had gone broke and acting was all he knew at the time. The producers offered him two separate roles, that of mobster Damian Smith, with a two-year contract, and that of Sonny. Benard revealed that just two weeks after starting work, he suffered a manic depressive breakdown. At one point he had stopped coming in to work but expressed his gratitude to the network for keeping faith in him instead of firing him immediately. [6] He reprised his role in the 1996 prime time special General Hospital: Twist of Fate , daytime spin-off Port Charles in 2000, and in an episode of prime time spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift in 2007.
Benard has been nominated for ten Daytime Emmy Awards for his role of Sonny Corinthos, winning for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2003, 2019, and 2021, as well as winning three Soap Opera Digest Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in 1996, 2003, and 2005. [7]
In addition for his daytime television career, Benard also starred in a number of feature and made-for-television movies. He appeared in the 2015 comedy-drama film Joy directed by David O. Russell. [8] He starred in the 2017 independent mystery thriller film The Ghost and the Whale , executive produced by his wife Paula. [9] He guest-starred on ABC crime series Castle in 2016 and appeared opposite Jamie Luner in the Lifetime thriller A Lover Betrayed (2017). In 2018, Benard appeared in the horror anthology film, Nightmare Cinema starring in segment directed by Ryuhei Kitamura. In 2019 he played John Gotti in the Lifetime crime film Victoria Gotti: My Father's Daughter . [10] [11] He later starred in films Hold On (2019), [12] and Equal Standard (2020). [13]
Benard married Paula Smith on August 11, 1990. [14] 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. [15]
His cousin, Marvin Benard, played professional baseball. [16]
Benard was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 22. He has become a spokesperson for treatment of the disorder with Mental Health America. [17] 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.
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 | Short film |
2000 | We Married Margo | Himself | |
2009 | Confession | Mitch | |
2015 | The Ghost and the Whale | Joseph Hawthorne | |
2015 | Joy | Jared | |
2017 | A Lover Betrayed | Detective Alvarez | Television film |
2018 | Nightmare Cinema | Father Benedict | |
2019 | Victoria Gotti: My Father's Daughter | John Gotti | Television film |
2019 | Hold On | Peter Duran | |
2019 | Duke | Winky | |
2020 | Equal Standard | Captain Chavat Issak | |
2022 | Passions | Father Thomas Rourke | Short film |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1987–1989 | All My Children | Nico Kelly | Series regular |
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 |
1996 | General Hospital: Twist of Fate | Sonny Corinthos | Television special |
2000 | Port Charles | Sonny Corinthos | 3 episodes |
2007 | General Hospital: Night Shift | Sonny Corinthos | Episode: "Time Served" |
2016 | Castle | Horatio Spate | Episode: "Dead Again" |
Year | Title | Award | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | General Hospital | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated |
1996 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Lead Actor | Won | |
1997 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
2003 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Won | ||
2003 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Lead Actor | Won | |
2004 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
2005 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Lead Actor | Won | |
2006 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
2011 | Nominated | |||
2019 | Won | |||
2021 | Won | |||
2023 | Nominated |
General Hospital is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running American soap opera in production, and the second in American history after Guiding Light. Concurrently, it is the world's third-longest-running scripted drama series in production after British serials The Archers and Coronation Street, as well as the world's second-longest-running televised soap opera still in production. General Hospital premiered on the ABC television network on April 1, 1963. General Hospital is the longest-running serial produced in Hollywood, and the longest-running entertainment program in ABC television history. It holds the record for most Daytime Emmy Awards for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, with 14 wins.
Laura Alice Wright is an American actress. She is best known for playing the roles of Allison "Ally" Rescott on Loving and The City, Cassie Layne Winslow on Guiding Light and Carly Corinthos (Spencer) on General Hospital. She won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role on General Hospital in 2011. She has since received six more nominations in the same category.
Tamara Braun is an American actress known for her work on daytime television. She portrayed the role of Carly Corinthos on General Hospital from 2001–2005 and Reese Williams on All My Children from 2008 to 2009. In 2009, Braun won the Daytime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Ava Vitali on Days of Our Lives. She departed the series in 2008, briefly returning in the role of Taylor Walker during 2011. In 2015, Braun resumed the role of Ava as part of the series' 50th anniversary commemoration, remaining until 2016.
Tyler Christopher Baker was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Nikolas Cassadine and Connor Bishop (2004–2005) on the ABC soap opera General Hospital.
Courtney Matthews is a fictional character from General Hospital, an American soap opera on the ABC network. She is the daughter of Mike Corbin and Janine Matthews, and the half-sister of mobster Sonny Corinthos. Courtney was portrayed by Alicia Leigh Willis from December 20, 2001, until February 21, 2006. Willis received two consecutive Emmy nominations for "Outstanding Younger Actress." Willis returned to the role of Courtney for a guest stint in May 2015, as part of a fan-favorite vote; she again returned in 2020.
Sonny Corinthos is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Maurice Benard has played the role of the manic depressive mob kingpin, living in Port Charles, since the character's storyline originated on August 13, 1993. Sonny is also known for supercouple pairings with Brenda Barrett and Carly Benson. Since joining the show, he has become a central character, with many storylines focusing on his family, friends, and criminal enterprise.
Carly Corinthos is a fictional character from General Hospital, a soap opera on the ABC network, portrayed by Laura Wright from 2005. A collaborative effort between the writers, Carly – originally played by Sarah Joy Brown from 1996 to 2001 — was introduced under executive producer Wendy Riche. A "love to hate" character who brings excitement to storylines because of her devious ways, Carly is the illegitimate daughter of former bad girl turned heroine, Bobbie Spencer.
Michael Corinthos is a fictional character on General Hospital, an American soap opera on the ABC network. Introduced in 1997, the role was portrayed by several child actors—most notably Dylan Cash when the character was rapidly aged in 2002. In 2009, the character was aged again when Drew Garrett stepped into the role. Garrett was replaced by Chad Duell after one year with the series. Robert Adamson pinch-hit for Duell in 2022 and 2024 when the actor was unavailable for various reasons.
Morgan Corinthos is a fictional character from the original ABC Daytime soap opera, General Hospital, last portrayed by Bryan Craig. Morgan is the first biological child of Sonny and Carly Corinthos.
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