Rowlands’ career, which started in the 1950s on stage and TV, included dozens of films.
American actress Gena Rowlands has passed away at the age of 94. Rowlands won three Emmys and was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of powerful, disturbed women in the crime thriller Gloria and A Woman Under the Influence.
After a successful career that began in the 1950s on stage and television, Rowlands went on to star in dozens of films. Her son Nick Cassevetes was cited by Entertainment Weekly as reporting her death. Rowlands’ first husband, John Cassavetes, was an actor, writer, and director. She also had award-winning roles in his films.
Rowlands, like her mother and the character she played in 2004’s The Notebook, suffered Alzheimer’s, as Nick Cassavetes disclosed in June.
She has advanced dementia. “And it’s so crazy – we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us,” her son, the film’s director, told Entertainment Weekly.
In the ’70s and ’80s, American independent filmmaking was crowned by Rowlands and Cassavetes. Cinema verite was developed by Cassavetes and attempted to depict real-life reactions and happenings; Rowlands served as his inspiration for this style.
Cassavetes and Rowlands created an independent movie that took cues from Hollywood, not in story or technique but in the charisma and emotional impact of the actors, according to a 2016 article in The New Yorker.
The psychological thriller Opening Night (1977), the marital tale Faces (1968), and 1984’s Love Streams (in which she played his sister) were among the ten films that the tall, blonde actress co-starred in with Cassavetes before his death in 1989.
Based on her performances in her late husband’s films, Rowlands exhibited a “manic energy,” “a fear of failure,” and “a desire to love,” according to the awards website Golden Derby.
Rowlands portrayed Mabel Longhetti, a housewife battling with mental illness, in Cassavetes’s A Woman Under the Influence, a piece that is widely regarded as one of her finest performances.
She saved and shielded a young, orphaned kid from mobsters who were hell-bent on killing him in Cassavetes’s 1980 film Gloria, playing the role of the strong, determined protagonist.
Rowlands was honored with an Honorary Academy Award in 2015, despite not winning an Oscar for either role.
Gena Rowlands, a 94-year-old American actress, passed away. Her notable appearances include Another Woman and The Notebook.
Rowlands passed away in her Indian Wells, California, home. She had two Oscar nominations, for 1974’s A Woman Under the Influence and Gloria, which she won in 1980.
Reports indicate that she had been battling Alzheimer’s disease, however no official cause of death was announced.
After receiving two Oscar nominations, four Emmys, and two Golden Globes, she reportedly retired from acting in 2015.
Gloria and A Woman Under the Influence were both produced in conjunction with her late spouse John Cassavetes.
Among her Emmys are those for The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie, Hysterical Blindness, The Betty Ford Story, and Face of a Stranger.
She made the journey from Wisconsin to New York to star in the Broadway premiere of The Seven Year Itch after being born there.
She made her Broadway debut in 1956’s Middle of the Night.
She received an honorary Oscar in 2015 for her extensive acting career.
“Working all day? Really? “I never imagined I’d live this long,” she whispered to Variety not long ago.
She has been in several films, including Tony Rome, The Neon Bible, Hope Floats, Tempest, The Brink’s Job, Yellow and Broken English, Unhook the Stars, Opening Night, and Faces.
In 2004, her son Nick Cassavetes directed The Notebook. He recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly about his mother’s portrayal of a character with dementia.
He explained that they had discussed Alzheimer’s disease extensively and wanted to be forthright about it. Unfortunately, she has been living with the disease for the past five years.
She has full-blown dementia. Plus, that’s just insane – she acted it out, and now it’s our fault.
At the age of 94, the esteemed actress Gena Rowlands passed away. Rowlands was known for her revolutionary cinematic work and stunning performances. The Hollywood Reporter states that Gena Rowlands passed away at her Indian Wells home with her family by her side following a courageous fight with Alzheimer’s illness. Throughout her impressive six-decade career, Gena Rowlands received rave reviews for her performances in films and television shows.
She was nominated for an Academy Award for her powerful roles in Gloria (1980) and A Woman Under the Influence (1974).
Gena Rowlands played a strong defender caught up in the Mafia in “Gloria,” but she portrayed a vulnerable housewife in “A Woman Under the Influence.”
She was nominated for an Oscar but did not win; however, she was presented with an honorary Oscar during the 2015 Governors Awards.
Gena Rowlands and her late husband, the filmmaker John Cassavetes, worked closely together throughout their careers. Among Rowlands’s notable film credits are Faces (1968), Opening Night (1977), and Love Streams (1984), all of which were directed by Cassavetes.
By working together, they explored intricate human emotions and societal themes in ways that were previously unimaginable in mainstream cinema.
During an interview at the 2015 Governors Awards, Rowlands discussed her acting profession and remarked, “You don’t just live one life — yours — you live many lives,” as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Rowlands’ appearances in ‘The Betty Ford Story’ (1987) and ‘Hysterical Blindness’ (2002), among others, earned her three Emmy Awards, demonstrating her substantial impact on television.
Her acting chops were on full display in her performances as a lonely widow in Unhook the Stars (1996) and an old woman with dementia in The Notebook (2004).
The Hollywood Reporter states that Virginia Cathryn Rowlands, who was born in Madison, Wisconsin, on June 19, 1930, started her acting career in theater and television before establishing herself in movies.
Rowlands and Cassavetes were married in 1954 after meeting at New York’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
The film careers of Gena Rowlands’s three children—Nick, Zoe, and Xan Cassavetes—keep the Rowlands name alive and well.
Her last film roles were in The Skeleton Key (2005) and Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks (2014).
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sidney Lumet reportedly said, “The highest compliment I can pay to her — to anyone — is that the talent frightens me, making me aware of the lack of it in so many and the power that accrues to those who have it and use it well.” This was in reference to Rowlands herself.
