Gena Rowlands (Y1 ’52), called “The most important and original movie actor of the past half century-plus,” by The New Yorker’s Richard Brody, has died at the age of 94. Over the course of her seven-decade-spanning career, the actress received four Emmys and two Golden Globes, and two Academy Award nominations for A Woman Under the Influence and Gloria, respectively.
Her passing was confirmed by Daniel Greenberg, a representative for her son, director and Academy grad Nick Cassavetes. In June, the announcement was made that Ms. Rowlands had been living with Alzheimer’s disease for five years.
The actress met her husband and creative partner, John Cassavetes (’50), during her audition for The Academy. Though she described him as the “best looking man,” she’d ever seen, she wanted nothing to do with him. For the headstrong actress, marriage—and love—were not on the table. “I wanted to be an actress bad enough that I would forgo the comfort of love,” she later commented.
After a botched first date (he rambled on about his dog), she gave him another shot. Their relationship would blossom into 34 years of marriage (until his passing in 1989), 10 films (with John behind the lens and Gena in-frame), and three kids. Nicholas ‘Nick’ Cassavetes, the eldest son, would graduate from The Academy in 1980, with his daughter Gina following suit in the early 2000s.
At a time when actresses were pigeonholed into stereotypes, Ms. Rowlands charted her own course. Drawn to slice-of-life stories, she brought vulnerability to characters experiencing the raw, dynamic turmoil of life — and audiences and critics cherished her work.
In 1956, she made her only Broadway appearance in the play Middle of the Night. She starred opposite Edward G. Robinson (’13) in the naturalistic drama by Paddy Chayefsky, to favorable reviews.
Soon after, Ms. Rowlands signed with MGM and made The High Cost of Living, marking her feature film debut in 1958. Over the next few years, she was cast in a slew of films: Lonely Are the Brave, The Spiral Road, and A Child is Waiting (the first time her husband directed her in a film).
Her later credits include starring in the blockbuster adaptation of The Notebook (directed by son Nick Cassavetes) across from James Garner. Her final screen appearances were in Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, and Unfortunate Circumstances, both comedies.
In 2015, Ms. Rowlands received an honorary Oscar. She announced her retirement from acting that same year.
When asked about dedicating her life to the arts she reflected: “Artists somehow stumble onto the best life in the world and I have no complaints about this life--maybe my next one, but not this one. Acting, meeting a guy who feels good the way you do, being able to get up in the morning and do what you want during the day and then go to sleep at night--it’s a pretty good thing.”
Ms. Rowlands is survived by three children: Nick, Alexandra, and Zoe, and Robert Forrest (whom she married in 2012).
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