Gena Rowlands

American actress, a talented blonde star of stage, screen and television, whose career spanned nearly seven decades. Her success on Broadway in Middle of the Night (1956) led to a film debut two years later in The High Cost of Loving. Her roles tended to be infrequent but memorable and she became best known for films directed by her husband, John Cassavetes. In November 2015, Rowlands received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of her unique screen performances.

Rowlands was nominated for an Academy Award as best actress for her performance in A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980) and received the Best Actress award at the 1978 Berlin Film Festival for Opening Night. She received her first Emmy for her portrayal of the first lady in the TV movie The Betty Ford Story (1987). She is also known for her performances in Woody Allen's Another Woman (1988) and her son Nick Cassavetes's film The Notebook (2004). In 2002, Rowlands appeared in Mira Nair's HBO movie Hysterical Blindness, for which she won her second Emmy. In 2004, she won her first Daytime Emmy for her role as Mrs. Evelyn Ritchie in The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie.

Rowlands was married to John Cassavetes from 9 March 1954 until his death on 3 February 1989. They met at the American Academy at Carnegie Hall, where they were both students. They had three children, all actor-directors: Nick, Alexandra, and Zoe. Rowlands married retired businessman Robert Forrest in 2012.

On 24 June 2024, Nick Cassavetes announced that his mother had been living with Alzheimer's disease for the previous five years. Gena Rowlands died from complications of Alzheimer's disease at her home in Indian Wells, California on 14 August 2024 at the age of 94.