Gena Rowlands, best known for her role in the hit film The Notebook, has passed away at age 94.
The Golden Globe winner famously portrayed the older version of actress Rachel McAdams’ character Allie in her son Nick Cassavetes’ 2004 film, which also starred Ryan Gosling.
According to a report from TMZ, the actress died at her Indian Wells, California home on Wednesday (August 14) afternoon.
She was surrounded by loved ones, including her husband Robert Forrest, and eldest daughter, Alexandra Cassavetes, 58. Her son paid her several visits in the week before her passing, per the outlet.
While there’s no official cause of death yet, Cassavetes revealed that his mom – like her heartbreaking character in The Notebook – had been battling Alzheimer’s disease for five years.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in June, the 65-year-old disclosed that Rowland was now “in full dementia”.
“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,” he said. “She’s in full dementia. And it’s so crazy – we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us.”
At the time of The Notebook’s release, Rowlands opened up about her own mother’s struggles with Alzheimer’s with Oprah’s O Magazine.
“This last one – The Notebook was particularly hard because I play a character who has Alzheimer’s,” she said. “I went through that with my mother, and if Nick hadn’t directed the film, I don’t think I would have gone for it – it’s just too hard. It was a tough but wonderful movie.”
Born in Wisconsin in June 1930, Rowlands graced the big screen and stage for seven decades before retiring from Hollywood in 2015, at the age of 84.
She began her career on Broadway in plays like Middle Of The Night and The Seven Year Itch before landing roles in TV shows: Top Secret, Robert Montgomery Presents, and Appointment With Adventure in the 1950s.
Following this, she made her film debut in 1958’s The High Cost Of Loving but continued appearing on various TV shows, including The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Peyton Place, and 87th Precinct.
The late star collaborated with her husband, John Cassavetes – who died in 1989 – and the couple made 10 films together across four decades: Faces (1968), Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), Opening Night (1977), and Love Streams (1984).
She earned an Oscar nomination with the Cassavetes’ directional, Woman Under the Influence (1974), in which she played a housewife struggling with mental illness, and Gloria, in which she portrayed a woman who rescued and saved a young orphaned boy from mobsters.
Rowlands’ stellar career achievements include earning four Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and an honorary Academy Award in 2015.
“You know what’s wonderful about being an actress? You don’t just live one life,” she said when she received the award for her long acting career. “You live many lives.”
Danny DeVito was among the stars to pay tribute to Rowlands, penning a simple message with the words: “Gena, love,” alongside a love-heart and upset emoji.
Gone Girl actor Carrie Coon wrote on X: “We lost Gena Rowlands – one of the greats – but also our dignity, as headlines trumpet: actress from ‘The Notebook.’”
The Mandalorian actor Amy Sedaris shared an emotional message on her Instagram, alongside pictures of the actress. “Rest in peace, Gena Rowland. No one comes close. No one. Very sad. #spiritinthesky,” she wrote.
One fan remembered Rowlands as “one of the few performers who I could actively make a case for as one of the greatest actors to ever do it,” adding: “Your performances in Opening Night and A Women Under the Influence are some of the greatest committed to celluloid.”
Our thoughts are with Rowlands’ loved ones and fans at this time.
Featured image credit: Kevork Djansezian / Getty
ENTERTAINMENT
August 15, 24
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‘The Notebook’ star Gena Rowlands dies aged 94
By Asiya Ali
Gena Rowlands, best known for her role in the hit film The Notebook, has passed away at age 94.
The Golden Globe winner famously portrayed the older version of actress Rachel McAdams’ character Allie in her son Nick Cassavetes’ 2004 film, which also starred Ryan Gosling.
According to a report from TMZ, the actress died at her Indian Wells, California home on Wednesday (August 14) afternoon.
She was surrounded by loved ones, including her husband Robert Forrest, and eldest daughter, Alexandra Cassavetes, 58. Her son paid her several visits in the week before her passing, per the outlet.
While there’s no official cause of death yet, Cassavetes revealed that his mom – like her heartbreaking character in The Notebook – had been battling Alzheimer’s disease for five years.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in June, the 65-year-old disclosed that Rowland was now “in full dementia”.
“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,” he said. “She’s in full dementia. And it’s so crazy – we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us.”
At the time of The Notebook’s release, Rowlands opened up about her own mother’s struggles with Alzheimer’s with Oprah’s O Magazine.
“This last one – The Notebook was particularly hard because I play a character who has Alzheimer’s,” she said. “I went through that with my mother, and if Nick hadn’t directed the film, I don’t think I would have gone for it – it’s just too hard. It was a tough but wonderful movie.”
Born in Wisconsin in June 1930, Rowlands graced the big screen and stage for seven decades before retiring from Hollywood in 2015, at the age of 84.
She began her career on Broadway in plays like Middle Of The Night and The Seven Year Itch before landing roles in TV shows: Top Secret, Robert Montgomery Presents, and Appointment With Adventure in the 1950s.
Following this, she made her film debut in 1958’s The High Cost Of Loving but continued appearing on various TV shows, including The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Peyton Place, and 87th Precinct.
The late star collaborated with her husband, John Cassavetes – who died in 1989 – and the couple made 10 films together across four decades: Faces (1968), Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), Opening Night (1977), and Love Streams (1984).
She earned an Oscar nomination with the Cassavetes’ directional, Woman Under the Influence (1974), in which she played a housewife struggling with mental illness, and Gloria, in which she portrayed a woman who rescued and saved a young orphaned boy from mobsters.
Rowlands’ stellar career achievements include earning four Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and an honorary Academy Award in 2015.
“You know what’s wonderful about being an actress? You don’t just live one life,” she said when she received the award for her long acting career. “You live many lives.”
Danny DeVito was among the stars to pay tribute to Rowlands, penning a simple message with the words: “Gena, love,” alongside a love-heart and upset emoji.
Gone Girl actor Carrie Coon wrote on X: “We lost Gena Rowlands – one of the greats – but also our dignity, as headlines trumpet: actress from ‘The Notebook.’”
The Mandalorian actor Amy Sedaris shared an emotional message on her Instagram, alongside pictures of the actress. “Rest in peace, Gena Rowland. No one comes close. No one. Very sad. #spiritinthesky,” she wrote.
One fan remembered Rowlands as “one of the few performers who I could actively make a case for as one of the greatest actors to ever do it,” adding: “Your performances in Opening Night and A Women Under the Influence are some of the greatest committed to celluloid.”
Our thoughts are with Rowlands’ loved ones and fans at this time.
