KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Hosts: Real Andrews and Alex Urbina
Guests: Maurice Benard
Getting Real With Real Andrews and Alex Urbina – December 9, 2015
Emmy Award winning Actor Maurice Benard joined Getting Real with Real Andrew and Alex Urbina.
About Maurice Benard
Maurice Benard was part of the cast of General Hospital in the role of Sonny Corinthos in August 1993. He briefly left the show for a year-long hiatus in December 1998. For his portrayal, Mr. Benard received the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in 2003. He was also nominated in 1996, 1997, 2004 and 2006.
Mr. 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, he gleaned an education in the open job market after high school. He began modeling in his early twenties. Following that, Mr. Benard took up acting in numerous theatrical productions in the Bay area.
After auditioning for a role on the ABC dramaAll My Children, Mr. Benard was cast as Nico Kelly. Two years later, he struck out to find new challenges and moved to Los Angeles, where he was 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.
Mr. Benard has been a popular voice in the battle against bipolar disorder. He has been very open about his personal battle with the illness, appearing on television programs such as The View, Entertainment Tonight, and Oprah. He has also been featured in People and LA Life Magazines. He also began working with the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) on the “Bipolar Disorder: Do You Know It?” campaign to help educate Americans about the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder.
Mr. 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. He and his wife, Paula, are the proud parents of daughters Cailey Sofia and Cassidy Rose and son Joshua James.
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I HAVE WATCHED YOU SINCE YOU WERE NICO. I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED YOU NO MATTER WHAT YOU WERE IN. I AM SO GLAD THAT YOU ARE DOING THE BIPOLAR THING AGAIN ON THE SHOW. GENERAL HOSPITAL HAS ALWAYS DEALT WITH ISSUES THAT MATTER. HAVE A GREAT XMAS.
Hey Bonnie, thanks for taking the time to respond. We really value you and your comments and feed back.
Merry Christmas.
God Bless.
FYI . I will make sure Maurice gets your message 🙂
I was serving with the U.S. Army in Germany in
1958. I had My first bout with Bi-Polar disorder. I was a Medic ln a medical outfit, Yet no one knew anything about the illness. I went into a deep depression
That lasted a couple of Months, couldn’t eat nor sleep properly. This was followed by a Manic episode that was the complete opposite, Now I had lots of energy
& My thoughts were in rapid fire. I didn’t have another
Experience until after My discharge which was preceded by a trip to the stockade for going A.W. O. L. Brought about by the undiagnosed Bi-Polar.
To make a long story short, I was hospitalized
8 times in Mental institutions & served time in
7 Prisons I received a proper diagnosis about
29 Years ago & received the proper medication
& suffice it to say, I have been doing great without
Any further ill effects. Thank You.
Morning Ray, thanks for sharing. Depression sucks no better way to put it. But the more of us who share and come forth with our experiences the more of us we can help. It is important to let people know they are not alone. Personally this is a very tuff time for a lot of us the Holiday season mixed with the cold weather..
Have a Blessed Holiday we are here for you.
God Bless
Réal
AKA Coach
http://www.realandrews.com
Bernard,I have. a 31yr old who I can not get him to take his medication.He was diagnosed since he was around 16.i can’t get any help,because they say he is not disable,he stay in his room,never goes any were,and he is doing like Morgan is doing on the General Hospital.You have to walk around the house quiet,cause you don’t know what he is going to say or do.He looks at you on general Hospital,You can help him,I know you can.
Morning Monica, we are sorry you are dealing with this I know it is frustrating. The best we can do is to be a great support for them.
God Bless
Réal
AKA Coach
http://www.realandrews.com
P>S. I will forward your message to Maurice as well.
I have fought with depression for over 44 years. With my highs and lows I often thought I was bipolar. I thank god for Maurice putting his illness out there.. I take my medicine every day and I only did that after reading his story. I felt good so I would stop. Then my world would fall apart. Thought of killing myself everyday. One day I finally tried it. It just wasn’t my time because here I am. Please thank Maurice he has touched my life. I love that he is an actor that entertains us but also shared about his bipolar. If I had not read his story I really believe I might of tried more than one. Thank you Maurice you are my god send.
Hey Ginnee, thank you for sharing and we are glad it was not your time. I will make sure Maurice gets your message because he will be very happy to hear this. I to am thank ful for Maurice speaking up . He was actually the one who said “You know your Bi Polar dont you?” . It is so important we all share our stories so we know we are not alone.
God Bless
Réal
AKA
Coach
Hi Réal,
I am currently in a very trying period of my life, which while quite stressful and anxiety-producing, is ultimately necessary to my finally getting out of the deep rut I’ve been in for years. I have been struggling with depression, anxiety, and mild OCD, basically striving for the elusive “perfection” and control. I’ve pretty much been a slave to my irrational anxieties my whole life (I’m in my 30s now).
Needless to say, I’m so happy I stumbled upon this link on Facebook. So much of what you, Alex, and Maurice said resonated with me. Tonight I felt like you guys were by my side, that I wasn’t truly alone (even if I am physically alone at the moment), and my anxiety has dissipated for now. Thank you for putting a smile on my face; now I’m crying tears of gratitude. I know things could be much worse, and I feel blessed to have a strong support network of family, friends, therapist, and psychiatrist. I regularly take my medicine and have been doing more yoga which always lifts my spirit.
I used to watch GH in high school and a bit in college (late ’90s-early 2000s), so it warmed my heart to listen to the progress you and Maurice have each made in your attitudes and outlooks on life. I’ve lost jobs because I couldn’t “make” myself get out of bed and had the wrong attitude and mindset, and I am paying dearly for my past mistakes. I’m learning that I’m pretty much never going to want to get out of bed, but the trick is to just do it, as you said, no reasoning or thinking involved. My survival depends upon it. I’ve also been praying more, and it has helped more than I thought it would.
Thank you for radiating positivity, encouragement, and hope through your show, particularly toward those who struggle with mental illness. Know that you have lifted the spirit of one person tonight.
Jane. thank you for being transparent and vulnerable. I know how you feel and have similar feelings what I have found is the best remedy is just “Show Up” and stayed focused on my purpose and take it moment at a time by staying present. I wish you a Merry Christmas .
God Bless
Réal
Coach
They say I’m bi-polar but I think it just depression . I had,a very bad childhood I don’t have the high highs,just low lows I take my meds everyday I watch Morgan and I feel a lot like him about my meds they make me feel blah but day after day I tale them. I know if I don’t I will sink into depression and I can’t stand that the meds are better than the deep deep lows I get watching GH has helped me a lot I don’t feel alone anymore and I thank Sonny and the writer’s for that. I don’t miss a show I haven’t in over 50 years I watched when I was a little girl with my Grandmother. Thanks for making mental illness okay like I’m not so abnormal
Thanks for sharing Shirley, you are a Champion and definitely not abnormal but more like the norm. God Bless Réal