- Born
- Birth nameMauricio Jose Morales
- Nickname
- Mo
- Height5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
- Daytime Emmy Award winning Actor Maurice Benard joined the cast of General Hospital in the role of Sonny Corinthos in August 1993. He briefly left the show for a year-long hiatus in December 1998. For his portrayal, Mr. Benard received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in 2003. He was also nominated in 1996, 1997, 2004, 2006 and 2011.
Mr. Benard's multi-cultural upbringing began in San Francisco, where he was born to parents from Nicaragua and San Salvador. Uninspired by the traditional education route, he gleaned an education in the open job market after high school. He began modeling in his early twenties. Following that, Mr. Benard took up acting in numerous theatrical productions in the Bay area.
After auditioning for a role on the ABC drama All My Children, Mr. Benard was cast as Nico Kelly. Two years later, he struck out to find new challenges and moved to Los Angeles, where he was 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.
Mr. Benard has been a popular voice in the battle against bipolar disorder. He has been very open about his personal battle with the illness, appearing on television programs such as The View, Entertainment Tonight, and Oprah. He has been featured in People and LA Life Magazines. He also began working with the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) on the "Bipolar Disorder: Do You Know It?" campaign to help educate Americans about the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder.
- IMDb mini biography by: Benard Management
- SpousePaula Benard(August 11, 1990 - present) (4 children)
- Was diagnosed with Manic Depression when he was 22 years old and to this day is an advocate for the disease.
- Is the Spokesperson for the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association. Treats his own manic depression with lithium.
- He and his wife are major animal lovers with a menagerie of over 30 pets that includes a bulldog named Corleone, 2 cats, snakes, birds, and an aquarium full of exotic fish.
- Has three daughters with wife Paula: Cailey Sophia (b. 18 September 1994), Cassidy Rose (b. 8 April 1999), and Heather, who was adopted in 2008.
- He and his wife adopted his wife's sister's daughter, after her mother's death. His cousin, Marvin Benard, played professional baseball.
- "I was told directors wouldn't hire me. They'd think I'd go crazy on the set. What's more important - directors or producers who might not cast me becuase they're ignorant, or helping people? So that's what I've been doing." - speaking publicly about his bipolar disorder.
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