Gena Rowlands Notebook actress and Star of Movies dies at 94

Gena Rowlands, an illustrious figure in the annals of acting, renowned as one of the finest to ever embrace the craft, and a luminary of independent cinema through her iconic roles in her husband John Cassavetes’ trailblazing films, has passed away at the age of 94. Her enchanting performance in her son’s film, “The Notebook,” further endeared her to audiences worldwide.

Gena Rowlands passing was confirmed on Wednesday by representatives of her son, filmmaker Nick Cassavetes, who had disclosed earlier this year that his mother had been battling Alzheimer’s disease. TMZ reported that Rowlands passed away at her residence in Indian Wells, California.

Together, John Cassavetes and Rowlands, working outside the confines of Hollywood’s studio system, carved out a unique niche, painting indelible portraits of the working class and the overlooked in society with films like “A Woman Under the Influence,” “Gloria,” and “Faces.”

Over four decades, Rowlands collaborated with Cassavetes on ten films, including “Minnie and Moskowitz” (1971), “Opening Night” (1977), and “Love Streams” (1984).

Gena Rowlands stellar performances earned her two Academy Award nominations: one for her portrayal of a woman teetering under the pressure of domestic life in 1974’s “A Woman Under the Influence,” and another for her role as a woman aiding a young boy in his escape from the mob in 1980’s “Gloria.”

“He had a deep-seated empathy for women and their societal challenges, their treatment, and the ways they navigated and overcame them, so all his films have fascinating female characters, and you don’t need many,” she said in a 2015 interview with the Associated Press.

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Beyond her Oscar nominations, Rowlands garnered three Primetime Emmy Awards, one Daytime Emmy, and two Golden Globes. In 2015, she was honoured with an honorary Academy Award for her significant contributions and legacy in Hollywood. “The beauty of being an actress is that you don’t just live one life,” Gena Rowlands said during her acceptance speech. “You live many lives.”

A new generation discovered Rowlands through her role in her son’s blockbuster film, “The Notebook,” where Gena Rowlands portrayed a woman suffering from memory loss, reflecting on a timeless romance. Rachel McAdams played her character’s younger self. Rowlands also starred in her son’s film “Unhook the Stars” in 1996.

In her later years, Rowlands continued to grace both film and television with her presence, appearing in films like “The Skeleton Key” and the TV series “Monk.” Her final film role was in 2014, where she played a retiree befriending her gay dance instructor in “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks.”

One of her most significant career achievements was her role in “A Woman Under the Influence,” where she portrayed a lower-middle-class housewife described as “totally vulnerable and giving, with no sense of her own worth.” In “Gloria” (1980), she played a faded showgirl threatened by her mobster ex-boyfriend, earning her another Oscar nomination for best actress.

Rowlands and Cassavetes met at the American School of Dramatic Arts at the dawn of their careers and married four months later. Cassavetes used his earnings from the TV series “Johnny Staccato” in 1960 to fund his first film, “Shadows,” a partially improvised work praised for its stark realism and naturalistic depiction of New York.

Gena Rowlands :

Rowlands, pronounced “Jenna,” honed her craft through live television dramas and stage tours in productions like “The Seven Year Itch” and “Time for Ginger,” as well as off-Broadway performances.

Her breakthrough came when Josh Logan cast her opposite Edward G. Robinson in Paddy Chayefsky’s play “Middle of the Night,” where her portrayal of a young woman in love with her much older boss earned her critical acclaim as a rising star.

MGM offered her a contract for two films a year, beginning with “The High Cost of Loving,” a comedy directed by and co-starring Jose Ferrer, which drew comparisons between Rowlands and the legendary 1930s star, Carole Lombard. However, Rowlands requested to be released from her contract due to her pregnancy. Throughout her career, she would often take extended breaks from acting to focus on her family.

In addition to Nick, Rowlands and Cassavetes had two daughters, Alexandra and Zoe, who also pursued careers in acting.

Following Cassavetes’ death from cirrhosis of the liver in 1989, Rowlands returned to acting to cope with her grief. She occasionally attended film festivals and Cassavetes screenings, where she encouraged others to watch his films. “John was one of a kind, the most utterly fearless person I’ve ever known. He had a distinctive view of life and the uniqueness of individuals,” she said at the San Sebastian Festival in 1992.

Born Virginia Cathryn Rowlands in 1930 in Cambria, Wisconsin, her Welsh ancestors had settled there in the early 19th century. Her father was a banker and state senator. A withdrawn child, she found solace in books and make-believe, with her mother nurturing her ambition to become an actress.

Rowlands left the University of Wisconsin in her junior year to pursue acting in New York. Like many of her peers, she gained invaluable experience in the burgeoning field of television drama during the 1950s, appearing in all the major series.

After leaving MGM, Rowlands had the freedom to choose her roles. When nothing piqued her interest, she appeared in TV series like “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Bonanza,” “Dr. Kildare,” and “The Virginian.” One of her career highlights was co-starring with her idol Bette Davis in the 1979 TV movie “Strangers.”

Rowlands’ other films included “Lonely Are the Brave” with Kirk Douglas, “The Spiral Road” with Rock Hudson, “A Child Is Waiting” with Burt Lancaster and Judy Garland (directed by Cassavetes), “Two Minute Warning” with Charlton Heston, “Tempest” (co-starring with Cassavetes and Molly Ringwald in her screen debut), and the role of a mother determined to do right by her children in Paul Schrader’s 1987 blue-collar family drama “Light of Day.”

Even in middle age and beyond, Rowlands took on challenging roles. In Woody Allen’s austere drama “Another Woman,” she played a writer whose life had been shielded from emotion until unforeseen events forced her to confront her feelings. In the ground breaking TV movie “An Early Frost,” she portrayed a mother grappling with her son’s AIDS diagnosis.

Reflecting on her career in 1992, Rowlands remarked that her roles lingered in her memory. “Sometimes, on those sleepless nights when I have too much time to think, I’ll explore different possibilities for different characters and imagine what they might be doing now,” she said.