- Queen of the American indie film, Gena Rowlands, is dead.
Gena Rowlands, known for her blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and captivating smile, was hailed as the queen of American indie film. Director John Cassavetes, who passed away in 1989, once gushed, "Gena is subtle, delicate, she's a wonder. She's direct. And unwavering. She can do anything." The couple, married for over three decades, with Cassavetes being Rowlands' discoverer and biggest fan, collaborated on successful films like "A Woman Under the Influence" (1974) and "Gloria" (1980), making Rowlands an award-winning and Oscar-nominated star. Now, at the age of 94, Rowlands has passed away.
The talent agency WME, representing Rowlands' son Nick Cassavetes, confirmed her death to the German Press Agency. She passed away on Wednesday in Indian Wells, California, as reported by U.S. media.
Director Nick Cassavetes (65) announced in June that his mother had been suffering from Alzheimer's for several years. He cast Rowlands in the 2004 romantic drama "The Notebook," where she played an elderly woman named Allie suffering from Alzheimer's in a nursing home. The film looks back on the young Allie (Rachel McAdams) and her great love, Noah (Ryan Gosling).
The actress, married to businessman Robert Forrest since 2012, continued working into her later years. "I'm very happy that I've made it this far," she told the "Huffington Post" at 84. "Saying it out loud, it sounds very old. And it is. But you can still have a lot of fun."
Rowlands' family is deeply rooted in the film industry. Her mother, Lady Rowlands, was also an actress, and both parents supported her career. All three of Rowlands and Cassavetes' children - Nick, Alexandra, and Zoe - followed their parents into the film business.
"I love acting because you get to live 100 lives," Rowlands told the "Los Angeles Times" in 2014. "You don't have to spend your whole life just with yourself." Her roles were always complex - from the call girl in "Faces" (1968), the first Cassavetes success, to the lonely museum worker Minerva in "Minnie and Moskowitz" (1971), the philosophy professor for Woody Allen in "Another Woman" (1988), or the Hollywood agent for Jim Jarmusch in "Night on Earth" (1991).
Initially, Rowlands thought more about theater than films, but when Cassavetes became interested in independent cinema, everything changed. They met at acting school in New York and it was love at first sight. They married in 1954. The couple struggled to finance their films, often touring the U.S. coast to coast with friends to interest cinema owners and the public in their projects.
"Film was our life. It was wild, intense years. The best of my life." Cassavetes' death in 1989 at the age of 59 left Rowlands devastated. She felt like a zombie and it took nearly two years before she could act again. Looking back, she has no regrets. "I had incredible luck. I really did."
For her roles in "A Woman Under the Influence" (1974) and "Gloria" (1980), both directed by her husband, she was nominated for an Oscar but didn't win. In 2015, the Film Academy honored the then 85-year-old actress with an honorary Oscar for her lifetime achievement.
Director Nick Cassavetes, in sharing the news of his mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis in June 2021, cast Gena Rowlands in the role of Allie, an elderly woman struggling with the disease, in the 2004 romantic drama "The Notebook." Despite the challenge, Rowlands' Oscar-nominated performances in films like "A Woman Under the Influence" and "Gloria" continue to be celebrated, with the Film Academy honoring her with an honorary Oscar for her lifetime achievements in 2015.
