Curtis Gilliland: His Work, Cynthia Watros and Their Twin Daughters

Curtis Gilliland is known to many TV fans as the man who married actress Cynthia Watros. She rose to fame on Guiding Light and later starred in Lost and General Hospital. But Gilliland had his own work, far from the bright lights of a TV set.

He worked in the restaurant trade and was also an author. He and Watros wed in 1996 and later had twin girls. Their home life grew as her career took her from one hit show to the next.

There is much to learn from this family story. It includes the years when Watros became a mom, the TV roles she chose, and the way she spoke about her marriage and daughters.

Who Is Curtis Gilliland?

Curtis Gilliland, who is also called Curt Gilliland, is a restaurateur and author. He was married to actress Cynthia Watros, known for her work in daytime drama and hit TV shows.

The pair wed in 1996 and had twin daughters, Emma and Sadie, in July 2001. Watros spoke about her husband and her children in interviews from the years when the girls were young.

Curtis Gilliland did not build a career as a TV actor. His work was in food service and writing. Fans came to know his name through Watros and the family they raised.

His Work in Restaurants and Writing

Curtis Gilliland had a job outside show business. A WebMD profile of Watros called him a restaurateur and an author. The report came at a time when the couple had two young girls at home.

A restaurateur owns or runs a place where people eat. It is a job that calls for long hours and close care. The food must be ready, guests need help, and a team has to work well each day.

Writing takes a new set of skills. An author must plan a piece of work, put it into words, and shape it for the reader. Both fields take time, even though one works with food and the other with words.

That mix of work sets Curtis Gilliland apart from the TV roles that made his wife famous. It also gives readers a clearer view of his own path.

A Wedding In 1996

Curtis Gilliland married Cynthia Watros in 1996. She was then playing Annie Dutton on the CBS soap Guiding Light. The role later brought her a major acting award.

Their wedding took place long before Watros played Libby on Lost or Nina Reeves on General Hospital. She was still at an early stage of the TV career for which fans know her today.

A 2019 interview with Soap Opera Digest gave a warm view of the marriage. Watros said life together had its highs and lows. She spoke about love, respect, and liking the person with whom she shared her days.

Her words gave fans a look at the home behind the TV work. It was a real family with good days and hard ones, not a story planned by a team of soap writers.

The Birth of Their Twin Girls

Curtis Gilliland and Watros became parents to twins on July 14, 2001. The girls are named Emma and Sadie. Soap Opera Digest has shared their names and birth date in its coverage of their mom.

The twins arrived while Watros was part of the Fox sitcom Titus. She had a busy job and now had two infants at home. That meant a great deal had changed in a short time.

In a WebMD interview, Watros spoke about the first months with twins. The article placed the family in Los Angeles and named Gilliland as her husband. It was a rare look at their life as new parents.

The two girls later gave their mom many stories to tell. Some were sweet; others were funny. As they grew, she spoke about their school years and the things they wanted to do.

How Becoming a Mother Changed Watros

The birth of Emma and Sadie had an effect on Watros’s work. She said she turned down some jobs so she could be near her children. For her, those years at home could not be put off until later.

TV actors may work long days or spend weeks in another city. That can be hard for a parent with small kids. Watros wanted to be there as much as she could, even if it meant saying no to a role.

She still took new parts. Her career kept moving, but she had a new way to weigh each job. Being a mother was part of the choice.

Curtis Gilliland was part of that chapter as the twins’ father. Their children were growing while Watros made her way through many kinds of TV work.

Comedy Roles During the Twins’ Early Years

Watros played Erin Fitzpatrick on Titus, which ran on Fox from 2000 to 2002. She later played Kellie Newmark on The Drew Carey Show. Both parts let her use humor after years of soap drama.

The move into sitcoms showed that she could do more than one style of acting. A funny scene needs a keen sense of pace, just as a sad scene needs care and feeling.

At home, the twins were still small. Life had school plans, meals, and bedtime, while their mom worked in TV. Those years joined new family needs with a run of well-known roles.

Curtis Gilliland lived through that time as a parent too. Though TV viewers did not see him in these shows, their family life was moving along at the same time.

The Years When Watros Appeared on Lost

Watros joined the cast of Lost as Libby. The hit ABC drama took place on an island and followed a group of plane crash survivors. Her role put her in front of a huge new group of fans.

Libby became part of the show’s story through her bond with Hurley and her place in the island group. The part was far from the comedy work Watros had done before.

By then, Emma and Sadie had been born. That made Lost one more TV chapter that came after her life as a mother began.

It also shows why fans came to know so much about her work while hearing far less about her husband. One job played out on a screen; his work was not part of a TV cast.

Finding Carter Brought Real Life Into Her Role

In 2014, Watros played Elizabeth Wilson on the MTV drama Finding Carter. Her character had twin daughters. That one detail was close to her life at home.

In an interview with OK! Magazine, she said her own life as a mom helped with the role. She knew what it was like to care for a child and feel fear when that child was at risk.

Her real girls were nearly 13 that year. On the show, the children were older and the plot was much more intense. Yet her real feelings as a parent helped her play the part.

That connection made the role stand out. It brought one part of Watros’s home life into the way she worked as an actor.

Cynthia Watros on Their Long Marriage

By 2019, Curtis Gilliland and Watros had shared more than twenty years of marriage. Watros was asked about that bond in an interview with Soap Opera Digest.

Her answer was not about gifts or grand trips. She spoke of respect and love, but also of the need to like each other. She knew that life can bring hard days as well as good ones.

The answer felt close to the life of many couples with jobs and kids. It put the focus on how two people treat each other from day to day.

It was also one of the few times that fans heard about Gilliland in Watros’s own words. She was speaking as a wife rather than as a TV star.

Emma and Sadie as Adults

In May 2023, Watros spoke about her girls in a Mother’s Day feature from Soap Opera Digest. They were 21 at the time and would turn 22 that July.

She said one hard part of being a mother was letting the girls grow into their own people. Parents spend years guiding children. Then they must learn to stand back and let them choose their paths.

The interview had lighter moments too. Watros joked that her daughters could feel shy when she sang or danced in public. It was a sweet glimpse of how the family had changed.

Curtis Gilliland and Watros had first welcomed the twins as babies in 2001. By 2023, the same girls were young adults with their own lives. That is a big change for any parent.

Her Return to Daytime Television

In 2019, Watros took over the role of Nina Reeves on General Hospital. She had played Annie Dutton on Guiding Light years before, so this marked a return to the kind of show that had helped her start.

She had won the Daytime Emmy for lead actress in 1998 for her work on Guiding Light. Her role as Nina later brought more Emmy nods.

Nina has a hard family story on the show, full of secrets and tense ties. Watros has spoken about trying to bring heart to the part, even when the character makes bad choices.

The role gave fans a new way to see her work. It also came years after the days when she and Gilliland had two young girls at home.

Where His Story Fits Into Her Career

Curtis Gilliland is linked to many years in Watros’s life. They wed while she was acting on Guiding Light, had twins during her sitcom years, and raised the girls as she worked on other shows.

Their story is not just a list of TV credits. There is also a home life with school days, child care, and the need to plan work around two growing children.

Watros has spoken about those choices in her own words. From the first months with twins to the day her daughters became adults, she has shared how much being a mom mattered.

Those accounts give a more useful view of Gilliland’s place in the family than guesses about fame or money.

Final Thoughts

Curtis Gilliland worked in restaurants and writing and became known to TV fans through his marriage to Cynthia Watros. The couple wed in 1996 and welcomed twin daughters five years later.

Watros’s interviews show how family life and a busy acting career met in those years. She made space for her girls as she moved from comedy to Lost and back to daytime TV.

Their family story is a part of her long career, yet it has value on its own. It shows how daily life carries on while a familiar face appears on screen.

FAQs

Are Curt Gilliland and Curtis Gilliland the Same Person?

Yes. Curt is a short form of Curtis, and both names have appeared in coverage of Cynthia Watros’s husband.

What Did Curt Gilliland Do for a Living?

WebMD identified him as a restaurateur and author in its interview with Watros.

What Are the Names of Their Twin Daughters?

Their daughters are Emma and Sadie. They were born on July 14, 2001.

Did Watros Play a Mom of Twins on a TV Show?

Yes. She played Elizabeth Wilson, the mother of twin girls, on Finding Carter in 2014.

Which Emmy Did Watros Win?

She won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1998 for playing Annie Dutton on Guiding Light.

For another story about family life and TV, read our profile of David Sanov and Alison Sweeney.