Character Name: Sonny Corinthos
Actor: Maurice Benard
Occupation: Mob Boss of Corinthos Organization
Marital Status: Single/Broken engagement to Kate Howard
Children: Dante, Michael, Kristina, Morgan
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]obster with a heart of gold or mobster with a heart of rocks? Since Michael “Sonny” Corinthos first appeared on the Port Charles scene in 1993, that has been the ultimate question. However, it may not have a flat answer.
Sonny was introduced to viewers as the owner of the Paradise Lounge, a strip club where he employed young Karen Wexler and then had an affair with her. It turned out Sonny had mob ties and when his club was shut down due to underage kids working there, Sonny started working with Luke Spencer, who had his own mob ties with Frank Smith.
Sonny and Luke started as enemies, but became friends and eventually opened their own legitimate nightclub together. Sonny also began dating young Brenda Barrett and when he suffered from gun shot wounds as a result of his mob involvements, Brenda is the one who found him and nursed him back to health, starting them on a course to epic romance. When Sonny, Brenda, and Luke defeated Frank Smith during a Puerto Rico adventure, the two returned to Port Charles more in love than ever and moved in together.
However, things were not all idyllic for the couple. Sonny soon began caring for young protégé Stone Cates, who was dying from AIDS. He also later caught Brenda wearing a wire to see if she could learn if he was still involved with illegal doings. When Sonny caught Brenda with the wire, he kicked her out and soon married Lily, the ex-girlfriend of Miguel Rivera. He nearly reunited with Brenda, but then learned Lily was pregnant. However, Lily and baby were soon killed in a car bomb meant for him and Sonny fell into a depression.
Sonny’s depressive tendencies have haunted him ever since as he became a mob kingpin in Port Charles. On-again/off-again romances with both Brenda and Carly (as well as marriages to these women, and children with Carly) have not helped. Many have learned much of Sonny’s emotional distress comes from his early life in Brooklyn where he was beaten by his stepfather.
Sonny remains an integral part of the Port Charles mob scene after more than two decades, but also a devoted father to Michael, Morgan, and Kristina.
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