Guiding Light's Most Memorable Actresses, Part 2: Cynthia Watros

In late 1994, actress Cynthia Watros (later of Lost, Titus, and The Drew Carey Show) joined Guiding Light as Annie Dutton, a new nurse at Cedars Hospital. Before long, Annie was teamed romantically with widower Josh Lewis. Annie quickly won the hearts of Josh's young children Marah and Shayne and the couple were making plans to spend their lives together. But, wouldn't you know it? Trouble was on the horizon. And trouble with a capital R as in Reva, Josh's wife who was presumed dead after driving off a bridge in the Florida Keys back in 1990.

For Annie's first few years in Springfield, she was a typical heroine but with a bit of a past. Back in Chicago, Annie had not only been married to good Dr. Rick Bauer, but she had also battled alcoholism. When Reva finally resurfaced in Springfield, Josh remained committed to his new love Annie but Annie's growing insecurities eventually led her back to the bottle and prescription pills. Eventually, Annie kicked her habit but she soon spiraled out of control as she tried anything, everything to hold onto Josh: pretending to be Reva's long-lost sister, lying to Josh that she was pregnant. To keep her pregnancy lie going, Annie got herself artificially inseminated. Alas, the fetus died and Annie then embarked on a diabolical plan to frame Reva for the murder of her unborn child. During a huge party at the Spaulding mansion, Annie took a tumble down the stairs, thereby miscarrying her child and neatly implicating Reva in the accident. Reva soon stood trial for the crime. But everything finally came to a head in June 1997 when Annie's lies were exposed on the witness stand as Watros turned in an amazing performance that helped her garner an Emmy for outstanding actress. Here Annie begins to admit the truth. Annie continues to unravel in this clip. And, finally, all hell breaks loose in the courtroom as the story concludes.

Watros' performance as Annie Dutton Lewis was mesmerizing from beginning to end as she expertly transformed a heroic character into a flawed, tragic, and villainous creature. Watros departed Guiding Light in February 1998. The role was later unsuccessfully recast with actress Signy Coleman (July 1998-July 1999 and again briefly in 2003). But it is Watros' incredible performance that most resonates with viewers and that lands her in spot #5 in my list of Guiding Light's most memorable actresses.