Maurice Benard Biography
Maurice Benard is an American actor who was born in San Francisco, California, United States. He is well known for portraying Nico Kelly in the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children from 1987 to 1990 and in 1991 depicted Desi Arnaz in the biographical television film Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter. In 1993, Benard started starring as Sonny Corinthos in the ABC soap opera General Hospital.
10 Quick Facts About Maurice Benard
Here is a list of 10 facts about Benard
- Name: Maurice Bénard
- Age: 62 Years Old
- Birthday: 1 March
- Zodiac Sign: Pisces
- Height: 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m)
- Nationality: American
- Occupation: Actor
- Marital Status: Married
- Salary: $5,000 per episode
- Net worth: $2 Million
Maurice Benard Age
Benard is 62 years old, he was born on 1 March 1963, in San Francisco, California, United States. He celebrates his birthday on March 1 every year and his birth sign is Pisces.
Maurice Benard Height
Maurice Benard stands at a height of 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m). He has both dark brown hair and eye color.
Maurice Benard Weight
Benard has a moderate weight. His weight and other body measurements are publicly not available. We will update this section once the information is available.
Early Life and Education
Benard was born Mauricio José Morales on 1 March 1963, in Martinez, California, the son of Martha, a bank worker, and Humberto Morales, a bakery superintendent. He grew up in San Francisco, California, and is of Nicaraguan and Salvadoran ancestry. He studied at College Park High School.
Rise to Fame and Breakthrough Moment
In the 1980s, he started his career as a model before acting. In 1987, Benard achieved his television debut playing Nico Kelly in the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children, a role he played until 1990. He received a Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Unique Male Newcomer: Daytime in 1989.
Major Achievements and Contributions
- 2005 Winner Soap Opera Digest Award. Outstanding Lead Actor.
- 2003 Winner Soap Opera Digest Award. Outstanding Lead Actor.
- 2001 Nominee Soap Opera Digest Award. Favorite Couple.
- 2000 Winner Soap Opera Digest Award. Favorite Actor.
- 1996 Winner Soap Opera Digest Award. Outstanding Lead Actor.
Personal Life
Maurice Benard Family, Parents
Benard was born and raised in San Francisco, California, the United States. 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 mourned 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
Benard is married to Paula Smith. The couple married on 11 August 1990, after dating for eight 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
Maurice and Paula have four children; three daughters known as Heather Ann Smith-Benard, Cailey Sofia Bernard, Cassidy Rose Benard, and a son Joshua James Benard. 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 Son
Benard has a son named Joshua James, born on 5 December 2004 with his wife Paula Smith.
Maurice Benard Daughter Heather
Benard’s daughter Heather was born Heather Ann Smith-Benard on 25 June 1991. She is the firstborn child of her parents Benard and Paula.
Benard welcomed his first grandchild known as Eloise Andresen from his daughter Heather and her husband Phil. He Shares Joyful News: ‘I’m Gonna Be a Grandfather’“I’m gonna be a grandfather,” he marveled, adding, “I love babies, I love kids, I love animals… I love life.”
Maurice Benard Net Worth
Maurice Benard’s net worth is estimated at $2 million dollars. This includes his assets, money, and income. His primary source of income is his career as an Actor. Through his various sources of income, Maurice has been able to accumulate good fortune but prefers to lead a modest lifestyle.
Facts: Everything You Need to Know About Maurice Benard
Here are some interesting facts you should know about Maurice Benard.
Maurice Benard Bio.
- Full Names: Maurice Benard
- Popular As: Michael”Sonny Corinthos on the ABC soap opera
- Gender: Male
- Occupation / Profession: Actor
- Nationality: American
- Race / Ethnicity: White
- Religion: Christianity
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
Birthday
- Age / How Old?: 62 Years Old
- Zodiac Sign: Pisces
- Date of Birth: 1 March 1963
- Place of Birth: San Francisco, California, United States.
- Birthday: March 1
Body Measurements
- Body Measurements: Not Available
- Height / How Tall?: 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m)
- Weight: 75 kg (165 lbs)
- Eye Color: Dark Brown
- Hair Color: Dark Brown
- Shoe Size: Not Available
- Chest Size: Not Available
- Waist Size: Not Available
Family and Relationship
- Father (Dad): Humberto Morales
- Mother: Martha Morales
- Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): Sister, Donna Messina Armogida(died)
- Marital Status: Married
- Wife/Spouse: Married to Paula Smith
- Dating / Girlfriend: Not Applicable
- Children: Sons (Joshua James) Daughter(s) (Cailey Sofia, Cassidy Rose, Heather Rose)
Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth: $2 Million
- Salary: Not Available
- Source of Income: Actor
Maurice Benard Wife Cancer
Benard’s wife, Paula Benard, has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Maurice has publicly spoken about his wife’s battle with the illness.
General Hospital
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.
Sons on General Hospital
Maurice plays the role of Sonny Corinthos on the American Soap Opera. He has two sons on the cast, Dante Falconeri and Morgan Stone Corinthos.
Gh
Benard’s first airdate on GH was on 13 August 1993. Also, to guest spots on various television series during the early 1990s, he starred in television movies such as the CBS television movie Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter (1991), in which he portrayed Desi Arnaz.
Illness
Benard was diagnosed with bipolar disorder which is a mental disorder causing periods of depression as well as abnormal moods when he was 22 years old. Since then, he has been a famous voice in the battle against such a traumatic disease. Openly, he claimed his battle against the illness on social media. At the same time, he started to work with the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) on ‘Bipolar Disorder.
He has since become a spokesperson for the 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 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.”
Book
Nothing General About It: Maurice looks back to his youth in a small town as well as his tenuous relationship with his father. He describes how his bipolar disorder started to surface in childhood, how he struggled to understand the jolting mood swings he experienced, and how a doctor finally saved his life.
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