Gena Rowlands, celebrated as one of the finest actors in the history of cinema and a beacon in independent filmmaking through her collaborations with her director husband John Cassavetes, has passed away at the age of 94.
Her death was confirmed on Wednesday by representatives for her son, filmmaker Nick Cassavetes, who disclosed earlier this year that his mother had been battling Alzheimer’s disease. According to TMZ, Rowlands died at her home in Indian Wells, California.
Operating outside the conventional studio system, Rowlands and John Cassavetes forged unforgettable portrayals of blue-collar life and everyday struggles in groundbreaking films like “A Woman Under the Influence,” “Gloria,” and “Faces.” Over a span of four decades, Rowlands starred in ten films directed by Cassavetes, including “Minnie and Moskowitz” (1971), “Opening Night” (1977), and “Love Streams” (1984).
Rowlands earned Academy Award nominations for her roles in “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974) and “Gloria” (1980). In “A Woman Under the Influence,” she portrayed a wife and mother on the brink of mental collapse, while “Gloria” featured her as a woman helping a young boy escape from the mob.
In a 2015 interview, she reflected on Cassavetes’ unique focus: “He had a particular sympathetic interest in women and their problems in society, how they were treated and how they solved and overcame what they needed to, so all his movies have some interesting women, and you don’t need many.”
Besides her Oscar nominations, Rowlands garnered three Primetime Emmy Awards, one Daytime Emmy, and two Golden Globes. She was also honored with an honorary Academy Award in 2015 for her outstanding contributions to Hollywood. “You know what’s wonderful about being an actress? You don’t just live one life,” she remarked during her acceptance speech. “You live many lives.”
A new generation discovered Rowlands through her son Nick Cassavetes’ hit film, “The Notebook,” where she vividly portrayed a woman grappling with memory loss, reminiscing about a timeless romance. Her younger self in the film was depicted by Rachel McAdams. Rowlands also appeared in Nick’s 1996 film “Unhook the Stars.”
In her later years, Rowlands continued acting in films and television, including roles in “The Skeleton Key” and the TV series “Monk.” Her final film appearance was in 2014’s “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks,” where she played a retiree who forms a friendship with her gay dance instructor.
One of Rowlands’ career highlights was “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974), where she played a housewife struggling with her sense of self-worth. In “Gloria” (1980), she portrayed a former showgirl confronting her mobster ex-boyfriend, earning her Oscar nominations for both roles.
Rowlands met John Cassavetes at the American School of Dramatic Arts, and they married shortly thereafter. Cassavetes financed his first film, “Shadows” (1959), using his earnings from the TV series “Johnny Staccato.” The film, praised for its stark realism, was shot on a modest budget and partly improvised, featuring natural lighting on New York City locations.
Born Virginia Cathryn Rowlands in 1930 (or possibly later, according to some sources) in Cambria, Wisconsin, she was the daughter of a banker and state senator. Raised in a family with Welsh roots, she was an introverted child with a love for books and imagination. Encouraged by her mother, she pursued acting, leaving the University of Wisconsin in her junior year to move to New York.
During the vibrant era of 1950s television drama, Rowlands honed her skills, appearing on major series. Post-MGM contract, she selected her film roles judiciously and starred in TV shows like “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Bonanza,” “Dr. Kildare,” and “The Virginian.” A notable moment in her career was co-starring with her idol Bette Davis in the TV movie “Strangers” (1979).
Rowlands’ other notable film credits include “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, and “Tempest” featuring Cassavetes and Molly Ringwald. She also played a mother in Paul Schrader’s 1987 drama “Light of Day.”
In her later years, Rowlands tackled challenging roles in films like Woody Allen’s “Another Woman” and the pioneering TV movie about AIDS, “An Early Frost.” Reflecting on her characters, she once said, “Sometimes, those white nights when I have no sleep and a lot of time to think about everything, I’ll examine different possibilities of different characters and what they might be doing now.”
She and John Cassavetes had three children together: Nick, Alexandra, and Zoe, all of whom followed artistic paths. After John Cassavetes’ death from cirrhosis of the liver in 1989, Rowlands channeled her grief into her work and frequently attended film festivals to honor his legacy. “I want everyone to see his films,” she said at the San Sebastian Festival in 1992. “John was one of a kind, the most totally fearless person I’ve ever known. He had a very specific view of life and the individuality of people.”
