Starting from the top, did you know that General Hospital has now been on the air for 60 years? The show debuted on April 1, 1963, and that makes it the longest-running American soap opera still in production, according to Guinness World Records.
60-year-old Maurice Benard has been with GH for thirty of those years, beginning his tenure in August 1993. That’s quite a reign for both a television show and an actor!
The actor has won three Daytime Emmy awards for his portrayal of Sonny, a mob boss with bipolar disorder. Sonny is a bad guy, described by Soaps as “violent” and “volatile.” What’s more, the actor himself has bipolar.
Maurice explains to Tamron that being bipolar and playing a person with bipolar disorder has been challenging, sometimes taking a toll on him emotionally. Diagnosed at the age of 22, Maurice has been sharing his struggles for many years—even knowing that might have compromised his acting career. March 30th was World Bipolar Day.
Tamron goes to break, but there is so much more to follow. When she returns, we see clips and photos of Maurice’s adorable 3-year-old granddaughter and his 28-year-old daughter Cailee. Maurice and his wife, Paula, have four children in all. One of their three girls came into their family through adoption.
Heather Andreson is Paula’s half-sister. Maurice and Paula adopted Heather in 2008 when she was 15, and her mother died unexpectedly. She became the oldest child in a family of six. Tamron tells Maurice that she is there to see him; they haven’t seen one another since October 2022, and he’s never seen his daughter in uniform. She’s a member of the U.S. Air Force!
Maurice is visibly moved when Heather joins him on the couch. He comments on how proud he is of Heather and shares a story about when his daughter asked Paula if she could call her “mom.” Tamron is tearing up, too!
Host Hall closes the segment by saying, “We just wanted to share this moment because you are a remarkable person, not only an actor that we've fallen in love with for over 30 years but a good soul, a good human.” She gives a shout-out to Maurice and Paula’s other two adult kids, Cassidy (23) and Joshua (18).
Viewers may love to hate Sonny Corinthos, but they’ve got to love Maurice Benard. He may play a tough guy on TV, but he’s got a heart of gold in real life!
"So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”” Romans 8:15
This content originally appeared on GodTube.com; used with permission.
Photo Credit: ©YouTube/Tamron Hall Show