Maurice Benard

Maurice Benard is an American actor who began as a model before moving into television. Born March 1, 1963, in Martinez, California, he grew up in San Francisco. He made his television debut in 1987 as Nico Kelly on All My Children, a role he held until 1990, and earned a Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Male Newcomer: Daytime in 1989. In 1991 he played Desi Arnaz in the television film Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter (1991), then made his film debut in Ruby (1992). Benard has spent most of his career playing Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital, a part he began in 1993. The role brought him ten Daytime Emmy Award nominations and three wins for outstanding lead actor, in 2003, 2019, and 2021. He also appeared in Joy (2015), Nightmare Cinema (2018), and Victoria Gotti: My Father's Daughter (2019), in which he portrayed John Gotti.