Complex, confident
and wise, Sonny Corinthos has taken his hard-earned experience as a street
hustler and transformed himself into one of the most powerful figures in Port
Charles. Actor Maurice Benard brings his own deeply personal experiences to the
portrayal of Sonny by adding color, menace and seduction to an already
intricate character. He first appeared in the role on August 13, 1993 and
recently returned to General Hospital 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.
"Sonny's a man in personal conflict who maintains an outward appearance of
calm at all times, at any cost." For his portrayal, Benard received a 1997
Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Series. He
also received an Emmy nomination in 1996 for Outstanding Lead Actor. During the
same year, Benard received the Outstanding Lead Actor trophy at the nationally
televised Soap Opera Awards ceremony.
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,
Maurice gleaned an education in the open job market after high school.
His dark good looks
and intense gaze brought him modeling jobs in his early 20s. Following that,
Benard took up acting in numerous theatrical productions in the Bay area. After
auditioning for a role on the ABC daytime drama, All My Children, Benard was
cast as Nico Kelly. Two years later, Benard struck out to find new challenges
and moved to Los Angeles, where 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.
Benard lives in the
Hollywood Hills area of Southern California. He enjoys the martial arts,
working out and playing host to a menagerie of dogs and cats. Maurice and his
wife, Paula, are the proud parents of daughters Cailey Sofia and Cassidy Rose.