Maurice Benard has become a soap opera legend ... s real-life love story with his beloved wife. Maurice first met Paula Smith at the mall in the 1980s when she was just 16 years old.

So, uh, can I leave?" "You were adopted by your half-sister, Maurice's beautiful wife [Paula Smith Benard]," Hall said to Andresen. "And that changed the trajectory of your lives." RELATED Video ...

Before joining the hit soap that would change his life Maurice has been in a relationship with Paula Benard for more than three decades. The couple have been married since 1990 and celebrated ...