Gena Rowlands, Double Oscar Nominee and Star of The Notebook, Passes Away at 94 – Ents & Arts News

American actress Gena Rowlands has passed away at the age of 94, as confirmed by her son.

Nick Cassavetes announced in June that his mother, a recipient of four Emmy awards and two Golden Globes, had Alzheimer’s disease and was in advanced dementia.

In the 2004 film “The Notebook,” directed by her son, Rowlands played a character grappling with the effects of the disease. “It’s surreal – we experienced it, she portrayed it, and now it’s our reality,” Mr. Cassavetes expressed to Entertainment Weekly.

Rowlands was praised for her portrayals of strong, complicated women, often under the direction of her husband, John Cassavetes.

Operating independently from mainstream Hollywood, the couple crafted narratives about working-class individuals in films such as “A Woman Under the Influence,” “Gloria,” and “Faces.”

Over a span of four decades, they collaborated on ten films, including “Minnie and Moskowitz” in 1971, “Opening Night” in 1977, and “Love Streams” in 1984.

Rowlands received Oscar nominations for her roles in “A Woman Under the Influence” and “Gloria,” embodying characters dealing with mental illness and protecting a young boy, respectively.

In 2015, she was honored with an Academy Award for her contributions to the film industry.

“The beauty of being an actress is that you get to live various lives,” she once remarked. “You experience different worlds.”

Rowlands was born in Wisconsin in June 1930.

After completing her education, she relocated to New York, where she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and met her spouse, also a student.

“My childhood dream was to become an actress; my love for reading as a child opened my eyes to other possibilities,” she shared with The New York Times in 2016.

She honed her craft in regional theater and television before making her Broadway debut in “Middle of the Night” in 1956.

Her first movie role in “The High Cost of Loving” emerged two years later, drawing comparisons to iconic 1930s actress Carole Lombard.

Aside from Nick, she and John Cassavetes had two daughters, Alexandra and Zoe, both of whom pursued acting careers.