Maurice Benard Biography
Maurice Benard is an American actor. He is known primarily for his portrayal of Michael”Sonny Corinthos on ABC soap opera, General Hospital, a role he has portrayed since 1993.
Maurice Benard Age
Maurice Benard was born on 1 March 1963, San Francisco, California, United States and is 56 years old as of 2019.
Maurice Benard Parents and Family
Maurice Benard was born in San Francisco, California, the United States on March 1, 1963. He is currently 56 years old. He is the son of Humberto Morales (father) and Martha Morales (mother). Maurice Benard’s father has been identified as Humberto Morales, a man who used to make a living as a bakery superintendent while his mother worked as a bank employee.
Maurice Benard Sister Dies
Benard is mourning the loss of someone near and dear to him. Donna Messina Armogida passed away and the actor considers her family. Maurice posted a moving tribute on Instagram which shows how special Donna was to him. He has often referred to her as his “Sister”.“
Maurice Benard Wife Paula Smith
The charismatic actor is happily married to his long-time girlfriend, Paula Smith. Maurice and Paula tied knots on August 11, 1990, after dating for 8 good years. Paula Smith is a producer/manager better known for her production credit on 2017 drama-thriller The Ghost and The Whale.
Maurice Benard Children: Adopted Daughter and Son
Maurice and Paula have four children; three daughters, and a son: Heather Ann Smith-Benard, Cailey Sofia Bernard, Cassidy Rose Benard, and Joshua James Benard[son]. He and his wife adopted Paula’s sister’s daughter, Cailey Sofia, after her mother’s death. Benard was quoted saying that their adopted girl is a sweet sister and already a friend to their other kids.
Maurice Benard Net Worth and Salary Per Episode
Benard has an estimated net worth of $2 million which he has mostly accumulated from his acting career. According to Thought Catalog, newcomers to the daytime television scene make up to $700 per episode. Although, for those actors that have been in the business for about 5 to 10 years, their salary per episode is between $1,500 to $3,000.
Maurice Benard Height, Weight and Measurements
Benard is 1.75 m tall. Maurice’s hair color is dark brown and his eye color is dark brown. His weight is unknown.
Maurice Benard General Hospital Soap Opera
Benard started his career in General Hospital, ABC’s daytime soap opera, where he portrayed the character of Sonny Corinthos, a mental patient. Benard received tremendous applause for his portrayal of Sonny which resembled his real-life battle against bipolar disorder.
Maurice Benard Mental Health and Illness
At the young age of 22, Benard was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a mental disorder causing periods of depression and abnormal moods. Since then, Benard has been a famous voice in the battle against such a traumatic disease. Benard openly claimed his battle against the illness on social media. And at the same time, he began to work with the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) on the ‘Bipolar Disorder.
He has since become a spokesperson for treatment of the disorder with Mental Health America. He made the decision to have the writers make his character, Sonny Corinthos, also have the disorder.
Maurice Benard Stand Up Comedy
General Hospital occasionally gives Maurice Benard moments to flex his comedic skills as mobster Sonny Corinthos, but the ABC soap is more focused on dishing out drama than dishing out laughs. So, fans looking to get an in-depth view of the actor’s comedy skills will have to look elsewhere. The Emmy-winning actor entertained his fans at Stand Up Live on Saturday, December 8, 2018, with a 90-minute set centered around behind-the-scenes stories from GH.
Maurice Benard Sons on General Hospital
Maurice Benard plays the role of Sonny Corinthos on the American Soap Opera. He has two sons on the cast, Dante Falconeri and Morgan Stone Corinthos.
Maurice Benard New Book
General Hospital star Maurice Benard will soon be giving his fans a behind-the-scenes look at his life. That’s because the legendary daytime television actor has just signed a publishing deal for his upcoming autobiography
Maurice Benard and Vanessa Marcil
It’s no secret that GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Brenda was tight with Sonny, but few know that in real life, her portrayer, Vanessa Marcil, is like a member of her former screen husband’s extended family. “I’m very close friends with Maurice’s wife, Paula,” he actress confided to Soaps In Depth, adding that she always wanted to be respectful, especially during the hottest parts of Sonny and Brenda’s romance.
“It is a weird thing to have your husband be in love with somebody on set, even though it’s just acting. But the one thing I’ll say about Maurice and Paula is they know they could call me at 3 a.m. and ask me to hide a dead body for them, and I would be at their house with a ski mask on, no questions asked. We’re that kind of close.”
The added bonus of being the keeper of someone’s secrets is that you know them pretty well. So we asked Marcil if there was something about Benard that, despite all that’s been written about him, might still surprise fans.
“I don’t think people really know how funny he is — ferociously, intelligently funny — because his character’s certainly not supposed to be a super hilarious guy,” Marcil laughed. “And even with how vulnerable he gets in his work, I still don’t think people truly know how much of a softie he is in real life.”
Maurice Benard Talk
The Daytime Emmys may not be on television, but thanks to the fine folks at the CBS talk show The Talk, broadcast TV viewers could see the winners in the top categories appear the day after the awards, including General Hospital star Maurice Benard!. Benard, who won his second Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Younger Leading Actor In A Drama Series on Sunday, dropped by The Talk and fielded questions from the hosts about what it was like to win a second time. His first win was in 2003.
The actor chuckled that for that first win he’d brought his family to the show but hadn’t had them at subsequent awards — until this year! So, what he’s learned is to make sure his loved ones attend the ceremony the next time he’s nominated! Benard’s parents were in the audience at The Talk and he gave them a shoutout during the segment he shared with Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series winner Jacqueline MacInnes Wood.
Benard won his second Emmy for his work in the powerful storyline in which Sonny is dealing with his dad, Mike (Max Gail), who is battling Alzheimer’s. Gail won the Daytime Emmy on Sunday for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series for his role as Mike.
Maurice Benard and Steve Burton
Fans of GENERAL HOSPITAL were first introduced to Steve Burton as Jason Quartermaine back in 1991, but they may not be aware that they almost didn’t get to enjoy the character of Jason Morgan he became after the car accident! “Maurice Benard (Sonny) really took me under his wing,” Burton confided to Soaps In Depth of his early days on the soap.“Maurice and I didn’t really talk that much at first, but we saw each other around, and one day, we started talking. I was actually about to leave the show, and he said, ‘I’ve seen some of your work. You’re really good. Do you have a technique?’ I said, “I have no idea, man.’ And he said, ‘Man, I’d love to help you!’ I was like, ‘Awesome! Let’s do it!’
“This was when I was still playing Jason Quartermaine,” he continued, “so I’d go to his house, and we’d rehearse and rehearse, and he’d teach me. I spent a lot of time with him and his family. I didn’t really have a teacher before, and it was like I was in acting class all the time.
”Whether or not the bond between Benard and Burton inspired the GH writers to turn the Quartermaine heir into Sonny’s right-hand-man, but the actor suspects it may have played a part in it. “I don’t know whether that was the trigger or not,” Burton admitted, “but he is a huge mentor of mine and taught me a lot. It was just amazing. It changed my career, acting-wise.”
Burton also revealed the two most important lessons that he learned from his co-star and friend, both for his acting career and just for life in general. “First of all, you have to be honest with yourself,” he declared. “If you can’t be honest with yourself in life, you will never grow as a person.
I found that to be true. Whether we like the truth or not, if you can be honest with yourself, you can grow as a person and an actor. And number two is, if it’s not there, never force it. No matter what you think a scene should be or what place you think you should be at as an actor, if it’s not there, do not force it. I still follow both of those suggestions today.”
Maurice Benard Contract
The soap opera world went into meltdown mode when General Hospital’s legendary star Anthony Geary decided to retire after 37 years of playing the iconic character, Luke Spencer. So what would happen if Maurice Benard, who’s been playing equally iconic Port Charles mobster Sonny Corinthos for the past 25 years, also decided to retire?
That question remains a mystery, at least for now, because Benard has signed a new contract with the ABC soap opera. Despite the positive contract news, some fans are still worried that Benard may have one foot out the door — and it all comes back to something he said last fall when retirement rumors started circulating.
Maurice Benard New Movie and Movies
♦Nightmare Cinema
♦A Lover Betrayed
♦Duke
♦Joy (Movie) Ridge 2015
♦Restraining Order (Movie) Sicko 2000
♦Mi Vida Loca–My Crazy Life (Movie) Creeper 1994
♦Ruby (Movie) Diego 1992
♦Dead Again
Maurice Benard Acting Career
Maurice started out by becoming a model when he was in his early twenties. He also proved to be quite good at the job which was because he was good looking and had the right physique. Besides, modeling for some time, he even decided to give acting a shot and started featuring in many stage plays and theatrical productions in the San Francisco Bay Area. The actor kick-started his TV acting in 1987 when he joined the cast of All My Children, a very popular TV soap opera which aired on ABC. He also acted in All My Children for about two years from 1987 to 1990. Benard’s biggest break on TV came in 1993 when he joined the cast of General Hospital, a daytime TV medical drama.
He also played the recurrent role of Sonny Corinthos on the TV series. General Hospital was very popular and launched him into a new level of fame. The actor’s talent was indisputable and mesmerizing. In fact, many fans often described him as a “breathe of fresh air”.Apart from his appearances in TV series, Benard has also featured in independent movies such as Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter in 1991, Ruby in 1992, Mi Vida Loca in 1993, Restraining Order in 1999, Crystal Clear in 2000 and The Ghost and the Whale in 2015
Maurice Benard As Gotti
There have many stories told about late mob boss John Gotti, but now, his daughter, Victoria Gotti, is telling her version of what really happened and what the dynamic with her father truly was. Gotti both executive-produced the film and co-wrote the teleplay to get the story right. And who better to play her dad than Maurice Benard, who brings to life crime lord Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital?
Actress Chelsea Frei plays Victoria in the film and the story covers what it was like constantly worrying about father, the tragic loss of her younger brother, and her rocky romance with the man who later became her husband. Read on to get Gotti’s views on what she wants people to learn about her father, and the legacy of her reality series Growing Up Gotti.
Maurice Benard Wins and Awards
Maurice has been nominated for several Daytime Emmy awards for his role as Sonny Corinthos, winning Outstanding Lead Actor in 2003 and 2019, as well as, winning three Soap Opera Digest Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in 1996, 2003, and 2005.