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Another generation of General Hospital superstars is coming up! Maurice Benard, a legacy actor who plays Sonny Corinthos on the hit ABC daytime drama, has revealed the show’s newest cast member. And it’s a face that’s very familiar to both him and the viewers!

General Hospital star Maurice Benard in a file photo wearing a leather jacket and a red shirt
‘General Hospital’ star Maurice Benard | Thomas Michael Alleman/Liaison

Maurice Benard has a long history in show business

Born Mauricio José Morales in California, Maurice Benard has been playing Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital since 1993. Prior to his role on GH, Benard played Nico on the classic ABC soap, All My Children. He had that role from 1987 until 1990.

Benard has also portrayed Desi Arnaz — opposite Francis Fisher’s Lucille Ball — in the made-for-television movie, Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter.

For his part, Benard — who was only 27 at the time he was cast in the Desi Arnaz role — said he was in a unique position. The General Hospital star said that portraying Desi Arnaz as a “lovable philanderer” had its own set of challenges. “Desi was such a nice person,” he said. “If you’re a jerk and fooling around, nobody’s going to want to be with you. Desi got away with it because he was so charming. You don’t accept (his infidelities), but you kind of feel sorry for him.”

Now, however, Benard has revealed that his family has another generation of superstars on the horizon.

Benard’s son, Joshua, will appear on ‘General Hospital’ on March 16

In an announcement posted to Twitter on March 8, Maurice Benard revealed that his son, Joshua, will appear on General Hospital on March 16. Benard didn’t specify what role his son would be playing on the soap. But he did share a sweet video featuring his shirtless son playing “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Elvis Presley on the acoustic guitar.

“Somebody close to me told me that @JoshuaBenard18 Is going to be on @GeneralHospital 16 March,” he wrote on the popular social media app.

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This isn’t the first time, though, that the younger Benard has appeared on the soap that made his father famous.

Joshua Benard appeared on ‘GH’ before

According to Soaps.com, Joshua Benard appeared on General Hospital back in 2018. He played a younger version of Sonny Corinthos, the character that Maurice Benard has been bringing to life for years. The younger Benard appeared in a “dream sequence” where Sonny envisioned a different life for himself than the one he’d been living.

“In Brooklyn, 1985, a young Sonny, (played by Joshua Benard), holds Vincent Marino at gunpoint and shoots him on Scully’s orders,” reports the outlet. “Sonny wakes up from his dream in Margaux’s home. He thinks to the past and envisions Mike arriving before he shoots Marino and pleading with him to put the gun down and walk away, which young Sonny does.”

And while Maurice Benard hasn’t discussed whether Joshua will appear as a younger version of himself, or as a different character altogether, General Hospital fans certainly can’t wait to see him in his next performance on March 16.

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