Maurice Benard

Maurice Benard, born Mauricio José Morales on March 1, 1963, is an American actor and former model. He is best known for portraying the manic depressive mobster kingpin Sonny Corinthos on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital, a role he originated in 1993. He is also recognized for his role as Nico Kelly on the soap opera All My Children.

Benard was born in Martinez, California, to Martha, a bank employee, and Humberto Morales, a bakery superintendent. He grew up in San Francisco, California, and is of Nicaraguan and Salvadoran descent. His cousin, Marvin Benard, played professional baseball.

He began his career as a model in the 1980s before transitioning to acting. In 1987, he made his television acting debut as Nico Kelly on All My Children, appearing on the show until 1990. Following guest roles on prime-time series including DEA, Stat, and Dark Justice, Benard appeared in the television film Her Wicked Ways in 1991. Later that year, he portrayed Desi Arnaz in the biographical television movie Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter opposite Frances Fisher. He made his feature film debut in the 1992 biographical drama Ruby and took on a role in the 1993 independent film Mi Vida Loca.

On August 13, 1993, Benard debuted as Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital. Although he originally intended to stay for only six months, he accepted the role after experiencing financial distress. Two weeks into the job, he suffered a manic depressive breakdown, but the network retained him. He later reprised the character in the 1996 prime-time special General Hospital: Twist of Fate, the daytime spin-off Port Charles in 2000, and a 2007 episode of General Hospital: Night Shift.

In addition to his daytime television work, Benard has appeared in numerous film and television projects. He acted in the 2015 film Joy, directed by David O. Russell, and starred in the 2017 independent mystery thriller The Ghost and the Whale, which was executive produced by his wife. His other credits include a guest appearance on Castle in 2016, the Lifetime film A Lover Betrayed in 2017, the horror anthology Nightmare Cinema in 2018, and portraying John Gotti in the 2019 television film Victoria Gotti: My Father's Daughter. He also appeared in the feature films Hold On in 2019 and Equal Standard in 2020.

For his performance on General Hospital, Benard has earned ten Daytime Emmy Award nominations, winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2003, 2019, and 2021. He also won Soap Opera Digest Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in 1996, 2003, and 2005, having previously received a nomination for Outstanding Male Newcomer in 1989 for All My Children.

Benard married Paula Smith on August 11, 1990. The couple has four children, having adopted his wife's younger sister following her mother's death. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 22, Benard became a spokesperson for treatment with Mental Health America. He arranged for his General Hospital character to share the diagnosis, drawing from his personal experiences to portray the condition.