Iconic actressGena Rowlands, known for films likeA Woman Under the Influence,Gloria, andThe Notebook, has passed away at the age of 94. Rowlands is the definition of a legendary star, one whose career spanned seven decades across stage and screen. She made 10 films with John Cassavetes, who would become her husband until his death in 1989.
According toVariety, Rowlands passed away on August 24, 2025, at her home in Indian Wells, California, following her battle with Alzheimer’s. Rowlands' son, Nick Cassavetes, who directed her in the 2004 filmThe Notebook, confirmed back in June that she had been living with Alzheimer’s disease for five years. Rowlands retired from acting in 2015, with her last on-screen credit being 2014’sSix Dance Lessons in Six Weeks.
Gena Rowlands' Incredible Life and Career
Rowlands is one of the most accomplished and critically acclaimed performers of all time, a talent who was both praised and simultaneously underappreciated. Her accomplishments include earning two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress forA Woman Under the Influencein 1974 andGloriain 1980, before winning an Honorary Oscar in 2016. She also won three Emmy Awards for her work inA Betty Ford Storyin 1987,Face of a Strangerin 1992, andHysterical Blindnessin 2003. Her last acting nomination was in 2009 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series forher role in an episode ofMonk. In 2014, she won the Career Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. That same year, she was immortalized at the Chinese Theatre with a hand- and footprint ceremony.
Rowlands also had an accomplished personal life. She had three children with Cassavetes, all of whom went on to become filmmakers: Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook), Alexandra Cassavetes (Kiss of the Damned), and Zoe Cassavetes (Broken English).Rowlands' role in her son’s filmThe Notebook, playing the older version of Rachael McAdams' character Allie Calhoun, introduced her to an entire new generation of fans. Yet, as one can see, she had an impressive career long before that role, and it should not be overlooked.
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Since making her film debut in 1958’sThe High Cost of Loving, Rowlands has been delighting audiences as one of the best performers ever to grace the screen. She will certainly be missed, but her legacy lives on not just in her family but also in the decades of work and material she left behind.Her work with John Cassaveteswill be studied for years, and it is safe to say future generations will find themselves breaking down crying at the end ofThe Notebook. Gena Rowlands was an extraordinary talent who lived an extraordinary life, and she will be greatly missed.
Rest in Peace Gena Rowlands. June 23, 2025, to August 01, 2025.
