Gena Rowlands, famous for her performance in the popular movie The Notebook, has sadly died at the age of 94.
The Golden Globe winner is well-known for playing the older version of Allie, a character played by Rachel McAdams, in the 2004 movie directed by her son Nick Cassavetes, which also featured Ryan Gosling.
A report from TMZ says that the actress passed away at her home in Indian Wells, California, on Wednesday afternoon, August 14.
She had her family around her, including her husband Robert Forrest and her oldest daughter, Alexandra Cassavetes, who is 58 years old. Her son came to see her multiple times during the week leading up to her passing, according to the source.
Even though the official cause of death hasn’t been announced, Cassavetes shared that his mom had been fighting Alzheimer’s disease for five years, similar to the sad character she played in The Notebook.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly back in June, the 65-year-old revealed that Rowland is now experiencing “full dementia.”
I asked my mom to act as older Allie, and we talked a lot about Alzheimer’s and how important it is to be real about it. For the past five years, she has been dealing with Alzheimer’s. Now, she’s in full dementia. It’s really wild because we experienced it together, she played the role, and now it’s something we have to face ourselves.
When The Notebook came out, Rowlands shared her experiences about her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s in an interview with Oprah’s O Magazine.
She mentioned, “The last movie I worked on, The Notebook, was really challenging for me because I played a character with Alzheimer’s. I experienced that with my mom, and honestly, if Nick hadn’t been the director, I probably wouldn’t have taken the role – it was just too difficult. It was a hard experience, but the movie turned out to be amazing.”
Many of Gena’s best performances were in collaboration with her actor-director husband John Cassavetes. Credit: Silver Screen Collection / Getty
Rowlands was born in Wisconsin in June 1930 and spent an amazing seven decades acting in movies and on stage. She decided to retire from Hollywood in 2015 when she was 84 years old.
She started her career on Broadway, acting in plays such as Middle Of The Night and The Seven Year Itch. Later, in the 1950s, she got parts in TV shows like Top Secret, Robert Montgomery Presents, and Appointment With Adventure.
After that, she started her movie career in the 1958 film The High Cost Of Loving, but she also kept showing up on different TV shows like The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Peyton Place, and 87th Precinct.
The late actress worked alongside her husband, John Cassavetes, who passed away in 1989. Together, they created 10 films over a span of 40 years, including titles like Faces (1968), Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), Opening Night (1977), and Love Streams (1984).
She got an Oscar nomination for her role in the movie Woman Under the Influence (1974), directed by Cassavetes, where she played a housewife dealing with mental health issues. She also starred in Gloria, where she acted as a woman who saved a young boy from gangsters.
“You know what’s amazing about being an actress? It’s like you get to experience more than just one life,” she said while accepting her award for her long career in acting. “You get to live so many different lives.”
John, Gena, and their son Zach in a candid moment at their house in 1964. Credit: Alexandre Fuchs / Getty
Danny DeVito was one of the celebrities who honored Rowlands by writing a heartfelt message that said, “Gena, love,” and included a heart and a sad emoji.
Carrie Coon, who acted in Gone Girl, shared on X: “We’ve lost Gena Rowlands, a true legend, but we also lost our respect when the news calls her just ‘the actress from The Notebook.’”
Amy Sedaris, who stars in The Mandalorian, posted a heartfelt message on her Instagram with some photos of Gena Rowland. She said, “Rest in peace, Gena Rowland. No one can compare. No one. I’m really sad. #spiritinthesky.”
A fan recalled Rowlands as “one of the rare actors I can truly argue is among the best ever,” and added, “Your roles in Opening Night and A Woman Under the Influence are some of the best ever captured on film.”
