Gena Rowlands, Beloved Actress & Star Of “The Notebook,” Dies At Age 94
Kevork S. Djansezian / Getty Images
Oscar-Nominated Actress Gena Rowlands Dies At Age 94 After Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis
Gena Rowlands, the actress beloved for her roles in projects such as A Woman Under the Influence and The Notebook, has died. She was 94 years old.
Virginia Cathryn Rowlands was born in 1930 in Cambria, Wisconsin. She attended the University of Wisconsin but left during her junior year to pursue an acting career. Rowlands first got her start acting onstage, appearing in a national touring production of The Seven Year Itch and also on Broadway.
Rowlands landed her first TV role in 1954, starring alongside Paul Stewart in the syndicated TV series Top Secret. Several more TV appearances followed before Rowlands appeared in her first movie, The High Cost of Living, in 1958.
Early in her career, Rowlands met director and actor John Cassavetes. The two married just four months after meeting.
John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands. pic.twitter.com/ydJUEQLTan
â Juan Ferrer (@JuanFerrerVila) August 15, 2024
The couple worked together on ten movies, with Cassavetes directing and Rowlands starring.
One of those films was 1974’s A Woman Under the Influence, for which Rowlands earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She earned a second nod in the same category for her role in another Cassavetes-directed film, 1980’s Gloria. Rowlands later earned an honorary Academy Award at the 2015 ceremony.
Some of Cassavetes and Rowlands’ other films included Opening Night, Love Streams, and Minnie and Moskowitz. Cassavetes died in 1989 at the age of 59.
Rowlands Was Introduced To A New Audience Through The Notebook
Rowlands and Cassavetes shared three children: Nick, Alexandra, and Zoe. Like their parents, all three kids pursued careers in the entertainment industry.
Nick became a director like his father and famously directed the 2004 movie adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook, starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling as young Allie and young Noah.
A huge piece of the story is that an older Allie has been diagnosed with dementia. Rowlands portrayed the older version of Allie. Her role in the film introduced her to a new generation of movie fans, making her even more beloved than she already was.
Sadly, Rowlands was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in real life. Her son, Nick, shared the news of her diagnosis with Entertainment Weekly in June 2024.
“I got my mom to play older Allie, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer’s and wanting to be authentic with it, and now, for the last five years, she’s had Alzheimer’s,” Nick said. “She’s in full dementia. And it’s so crazy â we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us.”
Rowlands died just a few months later, on August 14, 2024. The AP reports that representatives for Nick confirmed the news of his mother’s passing. She died at her home in Indian Wells, California.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Rowlands’ children and other loved ones during this difficult time. May she rest in peace.
