# Gena Rowlands

Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands (/ˈdʒɛnə/; June 19, 1930 – August 14, 2024) was an American actress, whose career in film, stage, and television spanned nearly seven decades. She was a four-time Emmy Award and two-time Golden Globe winner, was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
She rose to prominence for her collaborations with her actor-director husband John Cassavetes in ten films, including A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980), both of which earned her Oscar nominations. She also won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for Opening Night (1977). Her other notable roles included William Friedkin's The Brink's Job (1978), Woody Allen's Another Woman (1988), Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth (1991), Mira Nair's Hysterical Blindness (2002), her son Nick Cassavetes's The Notebook (2004).
In 2021, Richard Brody of The New Yorker said, "The most important and original movie actor of the past half century-plus is Gena Rowlands." In November 2015, Rowlands received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of her unique screen performances.

## Early years

Rowlands was born on June 19, 1930, in Madison, Wisconsin. Her mother, Mary Allen (née Neal), was a housewife who later worked as an actress under the stage name Lady Rowlands. Her father, Edwin Myrwyn Rowlands, was a banker and state legislator. He was a member of the Wisconsin Progressive Party, and was of Welsh descent. She had an elder brother, David Rowlands.
Her family moved to Washington, D.C., in 1939, when Edwin was appointed to a position in the United States Department of Agriculture; moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1942, when he was appointed branch manager of the Office of Price Administration; and later moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. From 1947 to 1950, she attended the University of Wisconsin, where she was a popular student already renowned for her beauty. While in college, she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She left for New York City to study drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

## Career
### Early roles (1952–1967)

In the early 1950s, Rowlands performed with repertory theatre companies and at the Provincetown Playhouse. She made her Broadway debut in The Seven Year Itch and toured in a national production of the play. In 1956, she starred in the Broadway play Middle of the Night opposite Edward G. Robinson.
Rowlands costarred with Paul Stewart in the 26-episode syndicated TV series Top Secret (1954–55). She guest-starred on such anthology television series as Robert Montgomery Presents, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Studio One, Appointment with Adventure, The United States Steel Hour, and Goodyear Television Playhouse, all in 1955. In 1959, Rowlands appeared in the Western series Laramie, alongside her husband John Cassavetes in the detective series Johnny Staccato, and in the Western series Riverboat, starring Darren McGavin. In 1961, she appeared in the adventure series The Islanders, set in the South Pacific, and in Target: The Corruptors!, starring Stephen McNally. She guest-starred in The Lloyd Bridges Show, the detective series 77 Sunset Strip, Kraft Suspense Theatre, the Westerns Bonanza and The Virginian, and Breaking Point, all in 1963. In 1964, she guest-starred in the medical drama Dr. Kildare and in two episodes of Burke's Law. She appeared in four episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, three of which were after the series had been renamed The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. In 1967, she was cast as socialite Adrienne Van Leyden in the prime-time ABC soap opera Peyton Place.
Rowlands made her film debut in The High Cost of Loving in 1958. In 1962, she starred in director David Miller's Lonely Are the Brave, with Kirk Douglas and Walter Matthau. She played the former lover of the Kirk Douglas character, now the wife of the Douglas character's best friend.

### Cassavetes era (1963–1984)

Rowlands and Cassavetes made ten films together: A Child Is Waiting (1963), Faces (1968), Machine Gun McCain (1969), Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), A Woman Under the Influence (1974; nomination for Academy Award for Best Actress), Two-Minute Warning (1976), Opening Night (1977), Gloria (1980; nomination for Academy Award for Best Actress), Tempest (1982), and Love Streams (1984).
According to Boston University film scholar Ray Carney, Rowlands sought to suppress an early version of Cassavetes's first film, Shadows, that Carney says he rediscovered after decades of searching. Rowlands also became involved in the screenings of Husbands and Love Streams, according to Carney. The UCLA Film and Television Archive mounted a restoration of Husbands, as it was pruned down (without Cassavetes's consent, and in violation of his contract) by Columbia Pictures several months after its release, in an attempt to restore as much of the removed content as possible. At Rowlands's request, UCLA created an alternative print with almost ten minutes of content edited out, as Rowlands felt that these scenes were in poor taste. The alternative print is the only one that has been made available for rental.

### Late career (1985–2014)

In 1985, Rowlands played the mother in the critically acclaimed made-for-TV movie An Early Frost. She won an Emmy for her portrayal of former First Lady of the United States Betty Ford in the 1987 made-for-TV movie The Betty Ford Story.
In 1988, Rowlands starred in Woody Allen's dramatic film Another Woman. She played Marion Post, a middle-aged professor who is prompted to a journey of self-discovery when she overhears the therapy sessions of another woman (Mia Farrow). The review in Time Out described the character's trajectory: "Marion gets to thinking, and is appalled to realise that so many assumptions about her own life and marriage are largely unfounded: in her desire for a controlled existence, she has evaded the emotional truth about relationships with her best friend (Sandy Dennis), brother (Harris Yulin) and husband (Ian Holm)." Time Out praised the "marvellous" performances in the film, adding, "Rowlands' perfectly pitched approach to a demanding role is particularly stunning." Film4 called her performance "sublime", while Roger Ebert noted that it marked a considerable change in tone from her work with Cassavetes, thus showing "how good an actress Rowlands has been all along."
In 1995, Rowlands appeared as Julia Roberts's mother in the comedy-drama film Something to Talk About, and in 1998, she played Sandra Bullock's mother in the dramatic film Hope Floats. In 2002, Rowlands appeared in Mira Nair's HBO movie Hysterical Blindness, for which she won her third Emmy.
In 2004, she starred as the older version of Rachel McAdams's character in the romantic drama film The Notebook alongside James Garner as her husband, which was directed by her son Nick Cassavetes. The same year, she won her first Daytime Emmy for her role as Mrs. Evelyn Ritchie in the made-for-TV movie The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie.
In 2005, she appeared opposite Kate Hudson, Peter Sarsgaard, and John Hurt in the gothic thriller The Skeleton Key. The next year she appeared as Mrs. Hellman in an episode from the third season of Numb3rs. She played a Nazi survivor whose whole family was killed. The family owned a painting that the Nazis confiscated. Later on the painting reappeared. The new owner lent the painting to an art gallery in Los Angeles but while on display it was stolen. FBI agent Don Eppes, played by Rob Morrow, tries to figure out what really happened. Rowlands received positive reviews for this role. She has been a spokesperson for people who were persecuted by the Nazis.
In 2007, she played a supporting role opposite Parker Posey and Melvil Poupaud in Broken English, an independent American feature written and directed by her daughter Zoe Cassavetes. In 2009, she appeared on an episode of Monk ("Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door"). On March 2, 2010, she appeared on an episode of NCIS as lead character Leroy Jethro Gibbs's former mother-in-law, who is embroiled in a murder investigation. In 2014, she starred in the film adaptation of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks. In 2015, she described herself as generally retired from acting.

## Personal life

Rowlands was married to John Cassavetes from March 9, 1954, until his death on February 3, 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.
Rowlands stated that she was a fan of actress Bette Davis while growing up. She played Davis's daughter in the 1979 made-for-TV film Strangers.

### Illness and death

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

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1958 | The High Cost of Loving | Jenny Fry | |
| 1959 | Shadows | Woman in Nightclub | Uncredited; First film collaboration with John Cassavetes |
| 1962 | Lonely Are the Brave | Jerry Bondi | |
| 1962 | The Spiral Road | Els | |
| 1963 | A Child Is Waiting | Sophie Widdicombe | |
| 1967 | Tony Rome | Rita Kosterman | |
| 1968 | Faces | Jeannie Rapp | |
| 1969 | Machine Gun McCain | Rosemary Scott | |
| 1971 | Minnie and Moskowitz | Minnie Moore | |
| 1974 | A Woman Under the Influence | Mabel Longhetti | |
| 1976 | Two-Minute Warning | Janet | |
| 1977 | Opening Night | Myrtle Gordon | |
| 1978 | The Brink's Job | Mary Pino | |
| 1980 | Gloria | Gloria Swenson | |
| 1982 | Tempest | Antonia Dimitrius | |
| 1984 | Love Streams | Sarah Lawson | |
| 1987 | Light of Day | Jeanette Rasnick | |
| 1988 | Another Woman | Marion Post | |
| 1989 | I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes, the Man & His Work | Herself | Documentary short |
| 1990 | Hollywood Mavericks | Herself | Documentary |
| 1991 | Once Around | Marilyn Bella | |
| 1991 | Night on Earth | Victoria Snelling | |
| 1991 | Ted & Venus | Mrs. Turner | |
| 1993 | Silent Cries | Peggy Sutherland | |
| 1995 | Something to Talk About | Georgia King | |
| 1995 | The Neon Bible | Mae Morgan | |
| 1996 | Unhook the Stars | Mildred "Millie" Hawks | |
| 1997 | She's So Lovely | Miss Jane Green | |
| 1998 | Paulie | Ivy | |
| 1998 | Hope Floats | Ramona Calvert | |
| 1998 | The Mighty | Gram | |
| 1998 | Playing by Heart | Hannah | |
| 1999 | The Weekend | Laura Ponti | |
| 2000 | Light Keeps Me Company | Herself | Documentary |
| 2003 | Broadway: The Golden Age | Herself | Documentary |
| 2004 | Taking Lives | Mrs. Asher | |
| 2004 | The Notebook | Older Allie Calhoun | |
| 2005 | The Skeleton Key | Violet Devereaux | |
| 2006 | Paris, je t'aime | Gena | Segment: "Quartier Latin" |
| 2007 | Broken English | Vivien Wilder-Mann | |
| 2007 | Persepolis | Grandmother (voice) | English-dubbed version |
| 2011 | Olive | Tess M. Powell | |
| 2012 | Yellow | Mimi | |
| 2013 | Parts Per Billion | Esther | |
| 2014 | Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks | Lily Harrison | Final film role |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1954 | Top Secret | Powell | Episode: "This Man Is Death" |
| 1955 | The Way of the World | Paula Graves | |
| 1955 | Robert Montgomery Presents | Myrtle Wilson | Season 6 Episode 33: "The Great Gatsby" |
| 1955 | Ponds Theater | Janet | Season 2 Episode 34: "The Ways of Courage" |
| 1955 | Armstrong Circle Theatre | Lugene | Season 5 Episode 40: "Time for Love" |
| 1955 | Studio One on Hollywood | Betty | Season 7 Episode 50: "A Chance of Love" |
| 1955 | Appointment with Adventure | (1) Lorri (2) Sally Mason | (1) Season 1 Episode 14: "Caribbean Cruise" (2) Season 1 Episode 23: "The Pirate's House" |
| 1955 | The United States Steel Hour | Lily | Season 3 Episode 7: "Ashton Buys a Horse" |
| 1955 | Goodyear Television Playhouse | (1) Eve (2) Betty | (1) Season 4 Episode 15: "Do It Yourself" (2) Season 5 Episode 3: "The Expendable House" |
| 1958 | General Electric Theater | Dorothy Dickenson | Season 7 Episode 12: "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" |
| 1959 | Laramie | Laurel DeWalt | Season 1 Episode 9: "The Run to Tumavaca" |
| 1959 | Johnny Staccato | Nina Van Ness | Season 1 Episode 9: "Fly Baby, Fly" |
| 1959 | Markham | Rita Evans | Season 1 Episode 28: "The Altar" |
| 1959 | Riverboat | Rose Traynor | Season 1 Episode 14: "Guns for Empire" |
| 1960 | Adventures in Paradise | Dr. Abigail Brent | Season 1 Episode 28: "The Death-Divers" |
| 1960 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Lucille Jones | Season 6 Episode 2: "The Doubtful Doctor" |
| 1960 | The Tab Hunter Show | Barbara / Penelope | Season 1 Episode 8: "Double Trouble" |
| 1961 | The Islanders | Pepper Mint | Season 1 Episode 20: "Island Witness" |
| 1961 | Target: The Corruptors! | Marian Praisewater | Season 1 Episode 5: "The Poppy Vendor" |
| 1961–62 | 87th Precinct | Teddy Carella | (1) Season 1 Episode 1: "The Floater" (1961) (2) Season 1 Episode 2: "Lady in Waiting" (1961) (3) Season 1 Episode 6: "Occupation, Citizen" (1961) (4) Season 1 Episode 25: "Step Forward" (1962) |
| 1962 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Helen Martin | Season 1 Episode 11: "Ride the Nightmare" |
| 1963 | The Dick Powell Theatre | Mrs. Canfield | Season 2 Episode 15: "Project X" |
| 1963 | The Lloyd Bridges Show | Leslie Kaufman | Season 1 Episode 20: "A Personal Matter" |
| 1963 | 77 Sunset Strip | Barbara Adams | Season 5 Episode 25: "Flight 307" |
| 1963 | Bonanza | Ragan Miller | Season 5 Episode 1: "She Walks in Beauty" |
| 1963 | The Virginian | Savannah | Season 2 Episode 3: "No Tears for Savannah" |
| 1963 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | June | Season 1 Episode 9: "It's Mental Work" |
| 1963 | Breaking Point | Shelley Osborne Peters | Season 1 Episode 14: "Heart of Marble, Body of Shame" |
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Louise Henderson | Season 1 Episode 23: "The Lonely Hours" |
| 1963 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Janet Cord | Season 1 Episode 6: "One Step Down" |
| 1964 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Diana Justin | Season 2 Episode 19: "Murder Case" |
| 1964 | Dr. Kildare | Helen Scott | Season 3 Episode 20: "To Walk in Grace" |
| 1964 | Burke's Law | (1) Paulette Shane (2) Mitzi Carlisle | (1) Season 1 Episode 17: "Who Killed What's His Name?" (2) Season 1 Episode 28: "Who Killed Annie Foran?" |
| 1965 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Lois Baxter | Season 2 Episode 18: "Won't It Ever Be Morning? |
| 1966 | Run for Your Life | Charlotte Hyde | Season 1 Episode 17: "The Rediscovery of Charlotte Hyde" |
| 1966 | The Long, Hot Summer | Karen Roberts | Season 1 Episode 20: "From This Day Forward" |
| 1967 | The Road West | Karen Collier | Season 1 Episode 16: "Beyond the Hill" |
| 1967 | The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. | Baroness Ingrid | Season 1 Episode 20: "The Fountain of Youth Affair" |
| 1967 | Peyton Place | Adrienne Van Leyden | 39 episodes |
| 1968 | Garrison's Gorillas | Duchess | Season 1 Episode 24: "The Frame-Up" |
| 1971 | Medical Center | Frances Delaney | Season 2 Episode 23: "The Man in Hiding" |
| 1972 | Circle of Fear | Kate Lucas | Season 1 Episode 2: "The Concrete Captain" |
| 1973 | Medical Center | Karen Coberly | Season 5 Episode 8: "Child of Violence" |
| 1974 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Lorrain Denby | Season 6 Episode 13: "The 266 Days" |
| 1975 | Columbo | Elizabeth Van Wyck | Season 4 Episode 5: "Playback" |
| 1978 | A Question of Love | Linda Ray Guettner | Television movie |
| 1979 | Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter | Abigail Mason | Television movie |
| 1983 | Thursday's Child | Victoria Alden | Television movie |
| 1983 | Faerie Tale Theatre | Witch | Season 2 Episode 1: "Rapunzel" |
| 1985 | An Early Frost | Katherine Pierson | Television movie |
| 1987 | The Betty Ford Story | Betty Ford | Television movie |
| 1990 | Montana | Bess Guthrie | Television movie |
| 1991 | Face of a Stranger | Pat Foster | Television movie |
| 1992 | Crazy in Love | Honora Swift | Television movie |
| 1993 | Anything for John | Herself | Television documentary |
| 1994 | Parallel Lives | Francie Pomerantz | Television movie |
| 1998 | Grace and Glorie | Grace Stiles | Television movie |
| 1998 | Best Friends for Life | Mrs. Harriet Cahill | Television movie |
| 2000 | The Color of Love: Jacey's Story | Georgia Porter | Television movie |
| 2001 | Wild Iris | Minnie Brinn | Television movie |
| 2002 | Charms for the Easy Life | Ms. Charlie Kate | Television movie |
| 2003 | Hysterical Blindness | Virginia Miller | Television movie |
| 2004 | The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie | Evelyn Ritchie | Television movie |
| 2006 | Numb3rs | Mrs. Hellman | Season 3 Episode 3: "Provenance" |
| 2007 | What If God Were the Sun? | Melissa Eisenbloom | Television movie |
| 2009 | Monk | Marge Johnson | Season 7 Episode 12: "Mr. Monk & the Lady Next Door" |
| 2010 | NCIS | Joann Fielding | Season 7 Episode 16: "Mother's Day" |

## Awards and nominations
### Academy Awards

| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1974 | Best Actress | A Woman Under the Influence | Nominated |
| 1980 | Best Actress | Gloria | Nominated |
| 2015 | Honorary Academy Award | — | Won |

### Emmy Awards

| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| Primetime Emmy Awards |||||
| 1986 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special | An Early Frost | Nominated |
| 1987 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special | The Betty Ford Story | Won |
| 1992 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special | Face of a Stranger | Won |
| 2000 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | The Color of Love: Jacey's Story | Nominated |
| 2002 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | Wild Iris | Nominated |
| 2003 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | Hysterical Blindness | Won |
| 2007 | Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or Movie | What If God Were the Sun? | Nominated |
| 2009 | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Monk | Nominated |
| Daytime Emmy Awards |||||
| 2004 | Outstanding Performer in a Children/Youth/Family Special | The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie | Won |

### Golden Globe Awards

| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1974 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | A Woman Under the Influence | Won |
| 1977 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Opening Night | Nominated |
| 1980 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Gloria | Nominated |
| 1983 | Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Thursday's Child | Nominated |
| 1985 | Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | An Early Frost | Nominated |
| 1987 | Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | The Betty Ford Story | Won |
| 1992 | Best Supporting Actress – Television | Crazy in Love | Nominated |
| 2002 | Best Supporting Actress – Television | Hysterical Blindness | Nominated |

### Screen Actors Guild Awards

| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| 1996 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | Unhook the Stars | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | What If God Were the Sun | Nominated | |

### Other Awards

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1971 | New York Film Critics Circle | Best Actress | Minnie and Moskowitz | Nominated |
| 1974 | National Board of Review | Best Actress | A Woman Under the Influence | Won |
| 1974 | New York Film Critics Circle | Best Actress | A Woman Under the Influence | Nominated |
| 1974 | Kansas City Film Critics Circle | Best Actress | A Woman Under the Influence | Won |
| 1974 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | Best Actress | A Woman Under the Influence | Won |
| 1975 | Golden Apple Awards | Female Star of the Year | — | Nominated |
| 1978 | Berlin International Film Festival | Best Actress | Opening Night | Won |
| 1980 | Boston Society of Film Critics | Best Actress | Gloria | Won |
| 1984 | Nastro d'Argento | Best Foreign Actress | Love Streams | Won |
| 1991 | CableACE Awards | Actress in a Movie or Miniseries | Montana | Nominated |
| 1994 | Sundance Film Festival | Tribute to Independent Vision Award | — | Won |
| 1988 | New York Women in Film & Television | Muse Award | — | Won |
| 1996 | Boston Film Festival | Film Excellence Award | — | Won |
| 1996 | National Board of Review | Career Achievement Award | — | Won |
| 1999 | Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Supporting Actress – Drama/Romance | Hope Floats | Nominated |
| 1999 | Seattle International Film Festival | Excellence for Ensemble Cast | The Weekend | Won |
| 2000 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | The Color of Love: Jacey's Story | Nominated |
| 2003 | Online Film & Television Association | Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Hysterical Blindness | Inducted |
| 2004 | AARP Movies for Grownups Awards | Best Actress | The Notebook | Nominated |
| 2004 | AARP Movies for Grownups Awards | Best Grownup Love Story | The Notebook | Won |
| 2004 | Hamptons International Film Festival | Lifetime Achievement Award | — | Won |
| 2004 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Drama | The Notebook | Won |
| 2005 | Satellite Awards | Mary Pickford Award | — | Won |
| 2005 | Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Best Supporting Actress | The Skeleton Key | Nominated |
| 2005 | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actress | The Skeleton Key | Nominated |
| 2008 | Los Angeles Greek Film Festival | Orpheus Award | — | Won |
| 2008 | Temecula Valley International Film Festival | Lifetime Achievement Award | — | Won |
| 2014 | Los Angeles Film Critics Association | Career Achievement Award | — | Won |
| 2017 | Online Film & Television Association | Film Hall of Fame: Actors | — | Inducted |