Oscar-nominated actress Gena Rowlands, known for her roles in “The Notebook” and “A Woman Under the Influence,” has died at the age of 94. The news was confirmed by her son Nick Cassavetes’ agent, Danny Greenberg.
Rowlands enjoyed a distinguished career spanning nearly seven decades and over 100 film and TV credits. She gained acclaim for her work in early independent films directed by her first husband, John Cassavetes, and later appeared in popular films such as “Hope Floats” (1998) and “The Notebook” (2004).
She earned Academy Award nominations for her performances in “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974) and “Gloria” (1980), both directed by Cassavetes. In 2015, Rowlands was honored with an honorary Oscar alongside director Spike Lee for her “extraordinary lifetime achievement” in cinema.
Though her cause of death was not disclosed, Nick Cassavetes revealed in June that his mother had been living with Alzheimer’s disease for the past five years. Her mother, actress Lady Rowlands, also battled the disease.
Nick Cassavetes, who directed his mother in “The Notebook,” reflected on her portrayal of an aging Allie Calhoun and their personal experience with Alzheimer’s. “We lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us,” he said.
Rowlands also worked with her son on the 1996 film “Unhook the Stars.” In a 2015 interview with the Los Angeles Times, she expressed her joy in working with him. “When you feel loved, everything is easy,” she said.
Born in Wisconsin, Rowlands made her film debut in “The High Cost of Loving” (1958) after starting her career with television roles. She won her first Emmy for her role as Betty Ford in the 1987 TV movie “The Betty Ford Story” and earned two more Emmys for “Face of a Stranger” (1991) and “Hysterical Blindness” (2002).
Her other notable credits include “Something to Talk About” (1995), “The Mighty” (1998), and “Skeleton Key” (2005).
Rowlands married her second husband, businessman Robert Forrest, in 2012. She is survived by Forrest and her three children from her marriage to John Cassavetes: Nick, Alexandra, and Zoe Cassavetes.
