Some people may not recognize the name Maurice Benard, but speak of Sonny Corinthos, and they’ll go, “Now him, I know.” Well, Maurice is in fact, Sonny. He stars as Sonny Corinthos in the TV drama, General Hospital. Let’s find out more about Maurice Benard’s Net Worth, Married life with wife Paula Smith and see why he left General Hospital.
General Hospital is an award-winning soap opera that premiered on ABC in 1963. The TV show holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running American soap opera still in production. And in it, American actor Maurice Benard plays the role of a crime lord.
Maurice Benard’s wife Paula Smith and children
Maurice Benard is married to a lady by the name Paula Smith. The couple exchanged vows on August 11, 1990, after eight years of dating and two years of being engaged. Paula Smith is a manager and film producer. In fact, her husband starred in an independent film she produced in 2015 called The Ghost and The Whale.
Maurice Benard and Paula Smith have four children, three biological and one adopted. Their biological kids are Cailey Sofia, born September 18, 1994; Cassidy Rose, born April 18, 1999; and Joshua James, born December 5, 2004.
On April 20, 2008, they adopted Heather Ann, Paula’s niece. The adoption of Heather came after her mother, Paula’s sister, passed away.
Maurice Benard leaving General Hospital?
Maurice Benard premiered on General Hospital on August 13, 1993, as Sonny Corinthos. And his continued sensational performance on the show has seen him receive several awards including a Daytime Emmy Award. Moreover, fans exceedingly love his businessman and gangster persona on the soap opera.
Now, seeing that Maurice is a great actor and a fan favorite, fans were surprised to hear he was leaving General Hospital. The rumors, began after Maurice posted a selfie on Instagram (October 18, 2017) with the caption,
“Just got done playing a character I love he’s a gangster he loves his wife and family and he has a few enemies can you guess🎬”
A few misguided media sites led fans to believe when Maurice said “Just got done” he meant he was leaving GH for good. However, Maurice put the rumors to rest when he took to Twitter saying,
“I love GH. I love Sonny. Love the people. Really want to be here for my 25th anniversary.”
There you have it, folks, Maurice Benard isn’t leaving General Hospital!! Well, at least not until his silver anniversary on the show which will fall on August 13, 2018.
Maurice Benard net worth and salary
His acting career began in 1987 in a soap opera called All My Children. He featured in the show as Nico Kelly until 1990. Maurice made more appearances on TV shows and films in the early 90s including DEA, Dark Justice, Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter, Her Wicked Ways et cetera.
In 1993 he debuted in General Hospital by introducing the character Sonny Corinthos. Aside from acting Maurice is also a mental health advocate. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 22 and allowed GH writers to give Sonny the condition as well.
This general hospital former cast is also a former model. So, what is Maurice Bernards net worth? Although his salary is not known, most websites estimate Maurice Benard net worth to be at least $2 million.
Maurice Benard age, height, wiki bio
She was born Mauricio Jose Morales in Martinez, California to Martha and Humberto Morales on March 1, 1963. Therefore, Maurice Benard is aged 55. Although an American, Maurice is of Salvadoran and Nicaraguan ethnicity.
After high school, he opted out of further education and instead took his chances in the open job market. He began modeling professionally in his early twenties. Maurice Benard has a height of 5’9 and enjoys martial arts.