Michael Kors Bags,What is actor Maurice Benard best know role on television,What is actor Maurice Benard best know role on television
Maurice Benard (born March 1, 1963) is an American actor. He is known primarily for his Daytime Emmy Award-winning portrayal of romantic mobster Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. on the ABC soap opera,What is actor Maurice Benard best know role on television, General Hospital, a role he has portrayed since 1993.
Biography
Born Mauricio Jose Morales in Martinez, California and growing up in San Francisco, Benard is of Nicaraguan and Salvadoran ethnicity. He started his acting career as Nico Kelly on the soap opera All My Children from 1987 to 1990. In addition to guest spots on several television series during the early 1990s, Benard also appeared in television movies including the 1991 CBS television movie Lucy Desi : Before the Laughter, in which he portrayed Desi Arnaz. He is now starring in an independent film entitled 'Confession.' Filming began in June of 2009.
Benard has also appeared in several feature films including Ruby (1992) and Mi Vida Loca.
Personal life
Benard and his wife Paula have four children; daughters Cailey Sofia (September 18, 1994), Cassidy Rose (April 8, 1999) and son, Joshua James (December 5, 2004). He and his wife adopted his wife's niece, Heather Smith-Benard, after her mother's death. His cousin, Marvin Benard, plays professional baseball.
Benard was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 22. He has since become a spokesperson for treatment of the disorder with Mental Health America.
Benard and his family lives in Temecula, CA.
Best known as smoldering gangster Sonny Corinthos on ABC's longtime soap "General Hospital" (1963- ), Maurice Benard has arguably been the hottest actor in daytime for over a decade. His very human portrayal of an often conflicted but still violent "good fella" was years ahead of Tony Soprano, bringing Benard a devoted fan base, an Emmy award and an opportunity through his TV character, to shed light on a still-whispered-about disease. Diagnosed with manic depression from a young age, Benard became notable outside soap circles for his work promoting mental health awareness for a disease that, though it nearly destroyed him, helped propel him to the heights of daytime stardom.
Born Mauricio Jose Morales on March 1, 1963 to parents Humberto, a Nicaraguan-born bakery superintendent, and Martha, a bank employee from El Salvador, the younger of two boys grew up in Martinez, CA - a town 40 miles from San Francisco. Following a failed attempt at modeling,What is actor Maurice Benard best know role on television,cheapest toms, Bernard - who took his surname from a favorite aunt - grew interested in acting, appearing in local plays and working with a voice coach. After landing a national Ford commercial, the aspiring actor flew to NYC to audition for a part on the hit ABC soap, "All My Children (1970- ).
Although Benard did not land the role he had tried out for, producers were so impressed with the actor's handsome Latin looks and intense demeanor, that they created a new character just for him - that of rogue-turned-good-guy, Niko Kelly. From 1987-89, Benard got his first taste of swooning female fans,toms classics shoes, as viewers tuned in to watch Kelly bed several on-screen lovelies, including co-star Lauren Holly. Despite a solid following, Benard left the show after two years and returned to California.
His most notable pre-"GH" role - and most infamous - was that of Desi Arnaz in the universally panned 1991 CBS biopic "Lucy and Desi: Behind the Laughter." The TV film, shot in only 18 days, was Benard's hardest role to date, in that he had to learn to sing, play the bongo and imitate Arnaz in only two weeks' time. Cast opposite Frances Fisher as Lucy, Benard made an admirable attempt to portray the famous Cuban bandleader, but the movie did little more than tick off family, friends and co-workers of the beloved real-life couple.
His next role - one that would catapult him to an even greater level of fame than Niko - came in the form of romantic, intense, passionate mobster Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. on arguably the most popular soap opera of all time, "General Hospital. In 1993, Benard started a limited six-month run as just another Port Charles "bad guy." But like his previous daytime gig, producers took notice of the depth and pain that Benard expressed with every look and gesture, as well as viewer reaction. When fan letters started pouring in, Sonny's storylines expanded and he was given a love interest every bit as desirable as he was.
Vanessa Marcil's coupling with Benard, gave "GH" its first legitimate heir to the "Luke and Laura" throne of soap coupledom. Marcil's Brenda Barrett, a spoiled, troubled beauty drawn to danger and dangerous men, ignited explosive sparks with reputed gangster Corinthos,botas toms for men, the likes of which had not been seen on daytime television in some time - if ever. The "Sonny and Brenda" pairing, along with the return of Luke and Laura after a decade-long absence, ushered in the soap's second golden age of being thee daytime appointment television.