Born in Martinez, California, to parents from San Salvador and Nicaragua, Maurice Benard spent most of his childhood in San Francisco. His parents gave him the name Mauricio Morales which he changed later to Maurice Benard. He found the educational system to be uninspiring and he went to work after high school. His good looks brought him modeling jobs in his early 20's, but he decided to take up acting and performed in numerous theatrical productions in the Bay area.
After auditioning for a role on the ABC daytime drama, "All My Children", Maurice was cast as Nico Kelly. Two years later, Maurice left to find new challenges and moved to Los Angeles. Here he was soon cast as the lead in the much-publicized TV movie, "Lucy and Desi: Before the Laughter". He later added a pivotal role in the feature film, "Ruby", to several other prominent film and television credits.
In 1993, he made his first appearance on "General Hospital" as Sonny Corinthos and remained on the show until August of 1997. He returned to GH in December of 1998 after a year long hiatus.
"This role is what I do best," Benard explains. "Sonny is unpredictable. You never know from one second to the next what he is thinking, feeling, or planning."
For his portrayal of Sonny, Maurice received an Emmy nomination in 1996 for Outstanding Lead Actor. During that same year, Maurice received the Outstanding Lead Actor trophy at the nationally televised Soap Opera Awards ceremony. In 1997, he received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Series. On March 10, 2000, he received the Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite Lead Actor.
When Maurice was 22 he suffered his first nervous breakdown, and soon afterwards he was diagnosed as manic-depressive. He was prescribed Lithium to help control his illness. However, he began to feel that the medication was hindering his acting abilities, and he quit taking it which resulted in his second breakdown. He realized that Lithium would become an integral part of his life. Shortly after signing on with "General Hospital", he suffered his third breakdown. General Hospital Executive Producer Wendy Riche encouraged him, supported him, and allowed him the time he needed to recuperate.
Maurice has always been very open about his manic-depression. In both magazine articles and personal appearances, he has been very straightforward in discussing the difficulties that he's been through and encourages others to seek help if they need it.
Maurice first met Paula when he was 22, and she was 16. He went into a store in the local mall where she was one of the cashiers and asked her out. However, he found out that she was only sixteen, so he didn't follow through with the date. Instead, he waited until she was 17, and they went out on their first date.
Maurice admits that his wife, Paula and daughters, Cailey Sophia and Cassidy Rose and son Joshua James are the best things that ever happened to him. They live in the Hollywood Hills area of Southern California. He enjoys the martial arts and working out.
~*~Maurice Statistics~*~
Birthdate: March 1, 1963
Birthplace: Born in Martinez, CA, but spent most of his childhood in San Francisco.
Birth Name: Mauricio Jose Morales
Height: 5'9"
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Mother's Origin: Nicaragua
Father's Origin: San Salvador
Marital Status: Married to wife Paula Smith August 11, 1990
Children: Two daughters, Cailey Sophia born September 18, 1994, Cassidy Rose born April 18, 1999 and a son Joshua James born December 5, 2004.
Pets: The Benards are animal lovers and have a menagerie of pets including Corleone, an English bulldog , Balou, a Blue Great Dane and a mutt named Lucky. Pets also include fish and a recent new member of the family a bird named Tito.
~*~TELEVISION & MOVIE CREDITS~*~
Daytime series-"All My Children" 1987-1989(Nico Kelly)
Feature Film-"Lethal Charm" 1990 (Steve)
TV movie-"Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter" 1991 (Desi Arnaz)
TV movie-"Her Wicked Ways" 1991 (Steve)
Feature Film-"Ruby" 1992 (Diego)
Feature Film-"Mi Vida Loca" 1993 (Creeper)
TV movie-"To Face Her Past" 1996 (Jesse Molina)
Daytime series-"General Hospital" 1993-1997, 1998-present (Sonny Corinthos)
Feature film- "Splitsville" 1998
Feature Film- "We Married Margo" yet to be released
Short Film- "Passions" (Father Thomas Rourke)
Independent Film- "Restraining Order" available on video
Short Film-"Crystal Clear"
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