NAME: Maurice BenardRANK: 15
SOAP ROLES: Sonny Corinthos, GENERAL HOSPITAL (1993-1997, 1998-present); Sonny Corinthos, GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT (2007); Sonny Corinthos, PORT CHARLES (2000); Nico Kelly, ALL MY CHILDREN (1987-1990)
AWARDS:
2008 ALMA Award nomination for Outstanding Performance in a Daytime Drama Series
2007 PRISM Award win for Performance in a Daytime Drama
2006 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
2005 Soap Opera Digest Award win for Outstanding Lead Actor
2004 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
2003 Daytime Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
2003 Soap Opera Digest Award win for Outstanding Lead Actor
2002 ALMA Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama
2001 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Favorite Couple
2001 ALMA Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama
2000 Soap Opera Digest Award win for Favorite Actor
2000 ALMA Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Soap Opera
1997 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
1996 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
1996 Soap Opera Digest Award win for Outstanding Lead Actor
1996 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Hottest Soap Couple
1989 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Male Newcomer: Daytime
COMMENTS FROM THE PANEL:
Damon L. Jacobs: Don't believe the hype! Because if you do you will be convinced that Maurice Benard is either the best actor of our generation, or the most overrated. The truth is that Mr. Benard is a profoundly talented and complex artist who took a brief role as pill-pushing strip club owner and spun it into one of the most frustratingly lovable soap characters of all time. The Emmy winner has courageously and admirably become an outspoken advocate for those coping with Bipolar Disorder, and has bravely infused Sonny Corinthos with an unbalanced and unpredictable temperament that you simply can not look away from when he is on screen. So don't believe the hype and accept reality instead: No daytime actor has ever made the role of a homicidal mobster so irresistible, so delicious, and so enduring...and it is unlikely anyone ever will again.
Roger Newcomb: I loved Nico and Cecily on ALL MY CHILDREN. I can't believe how time has flown by since then. Maurice Benard has gone from up and coming soap hunk to the leading man of daytime today. Whether you like everything Sonny Corinthos does or not, Benard's portrayal of the man has been the center of GENERAL HOSPITAL for years. His chemistry with Vanessa Marcil, Sarah Brown, Tamara Braun, and especially his ultimate scene partner, Steve Burton, has provided GH with many of its most memorable moments in history. Despite all this and the many accolades he's earned, his willingness to put his own struggles with bipolar disorder out to the world to try to help others is the thing that impresses me most.
Alan Carter: Has there been an interviewed published in the last 10 or so years without a GH colleague saying how much they want to work with Maurice? Either he is really THAT good or he is paying people off. Jokes aside, I dont believe he is paying anyone off.
COMMENTS FROM CO-STARS/CO-WORKERS/INDUSTRY:
Carmen Thomas: (worked with Benard on ALL MY CHILDREN) I really liked him. He was unpredictable and you were never really sure what Maurice was going to do. He was more of a wild child, but very devoted and dedicated to acting. When Maurice wanted something, and went for it, there was no stopping him.
NEVERMIND, BENARD FANS, DON'T WORRY 'BOUT # 15! MUCH LIKE MUSIC CRITICS, THESE SOAP SCRIBES ARE OUT TO PROMOTE THEIR OWN POINTS OF VIEW. IT'S ALL IN AN EFFORT TO FURTHER THEIR OWN CAREERS.SADLY, THEY SEEM TO AND FEEL THAT THE QUICKEST WAY TO DO SO IS BY TRASHING THOSE WHO ESTABLISH THEMSELVES VIA TALENT AND HARDWORK!
ReplyDeleteMINORITY ARTIST ARE USUALLY THEIR PREFERRED VICTIMS CAUSE THEY CONSIDER THEM "EASY TARGETS."
Chemistry... You left out Michael Sutton as Stone, whose AIDS storyline an death made Maurice's Sonny so human before all these gangster story lines cost GH its credibility.
ReplyDeleteLove Maurice. So happy he made the list.
ReplyDeleteThis is a greatest ACTORS list and MB could act his way out of a paper bag. It's a shame that talented and great actors such as Tristan Rogers get ranked well below this guy. Heck where is John Reilly (Sean Donely)? Now that guy could act! I could see the character of Sonny on a greatest character list but not #15 and MB certainly shouldn't be on this list.
ReplyDeleteMaurice should be as high in rank as Tony Geary in my opinion. He has carried the show many years! He is very talented . His character can be moody , nuanced, funny and very passionate on every level. Maurice Benard is definately one of the BEST !
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