Gena Rowlands, the acclaimed actress known for her captivating roles in A Woman Under the Influence and The Notebook, passed away at the age of 94.
Rowlands died in the afternoon at her home in Indian Wells, California, on August 14, surrounded by her family.
While no official cause of death was provided, it is known that the retired actress had been battling Alzheimer’s, a poignant connection to her role as the elder Allie in The Notebook.
Per Variety, her passing was confirmed by the office of her son’s agent.
According to NPR, in 1950, Rowlands moved to New York to study acting at the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts, where she met fellow student John Cassavetes.
However, she eventually left the academy and started her professional acting career, making her stage debut in a minor role in Paddy Chayefsky’s Middle of the Night on Broadway.
Gena Rowlands’ son directed her in The Notebook
In June, her son Nick Cassavetes, who directed his mother in The Notebook, revealed that the three-time Emmy winner and two-time Oscar nominee had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
The film stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as a young couple who fall in love in the 1940s. Their love story is narrated in the present day by an elderly man who reads from a notebook to a fellow resident at a nursing home.
The film became a sleeper hit at the box office, earning $117 million on a $29 million budget. Since its release, it has grown into a cult classic.
Gena Rowlands’ iconic roles and critical acclaim
In 2015, Rowlands received an honorary Academy Award at the annual Governors Awards, a fitting tribute to her storied career that spanned decades.
She retired from Hollywood the same year, leaving a legacy that includes four Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and two Oscar nominations. Her collaborations with her husband, John Cassavetes, were influential in American independent film for their groundbreaking content and pioneering approach to filmmaking.
Rowlands’ early career saw her seamlessly transition from a Broadway ingenue to a grande dame of the screen.
Rowlands’ performance as Mabel Longhetti in the 1974 drama A Woman Under the Influence, a role written specifically for her by her husband, earned her the first of two Academy Award nominations.
The other came for her work in Gloria (1980), also directed by her then-husband.
Her desire to explore the complexities faced by American women led to the creation of A Woman Under the Influence, a film they financed by mortgaging their house and borrowing from family and friends. The film was shot on a tight budget, using a crew that included AFI students, and filmed in an actual Hollywood residence rather than a soundstage.
Throughout her illustrious career, Rowlands won Primetime Emmys for her roles in The Betty Ford Story, Face of a Stranger, and Hysterical Blindness, along with a Daytime Emmy for The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie.
She earned five more Emmy nominations, the first in 1985 for her role in the groundbreaking TV movie An Early Frost. Rowlands also contributed significantly to television, appearing in series like Top Secret and guest-starring on various TV anthology shows.
Rowlands was married to John Cassavetes from 1954 until his death in 1989. Together, they made 10 films, including Faces and Gloria. She is survived by her husband, Robert, and her children, Nick, Alexandra, and Zoe Cassavetes.