Gena Rowlands facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gena Rowlands
Rowlands in 1961
Born	Virginia Cathryn Rowlands (1930-06-19)June 19, 1930 Cambria, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	August 14, 2024(2024-08-14) (aged 94) Indian Wells, California, U.S.
Alma mater	American Academy of Dramatic Arts
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1949–2014
Spouse(s)	John Cassavetes ​ ​ (m. 1954; died 1989)​ Robert Forrest ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	Nick Cassavetes Alexandra Cassavetes Zoe Cassavetes
Parents	Edwin Myrwyn Rowlands (father) Lady Rowlands (mother)

Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands (June 19, 1930 – August 14, 2024) was a famous American actress. Her acting career lasted for almost 70 years! She starred in many movies, plays, and TV shows.

Gena Rowlands won many awards, including four Emmys and two Golden Globes. She was well-known for working with her husband, John Cassavetes, who was an actor and director. They made ten films together, like A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980). For both of these movies, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. She also won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for her role in Opening Night (1977).

Later in her career, she also starred in Woody Allen's Another Woman (1988). Many young people know her from the popular movie The Notebook (2004), which was directed by her son, Nick Cassavetes. In 2015, Gena Rowlands received a special Honorary Academy Award for her amazing work in movies.

Early Life

Gena Rowlands was born on June 19, 1930, in Cambria, Wisconsin. Her mother, Mary Allen, was a housewife who later became an actress. She used the stage name Lady Rowlands. Gena's father, Edwin Myrwyn Rowlands, worked as a banker and was also a state politician. He was part of the Wisconsin Progressive Party.

Her family moved a few times when she was growing up. In 1939, they moved to Washington, D.C.. Later, in 1942, they moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and then to Minneapolis, Minnesota. From 1947 to 1950, Gena went to the University of Wisconsin. She was a popular student there. After college, she moved to New York City to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Acting Career

Starting Out (1952–1967)

Publicity photo, 1955

In the early 1950s, Gena Rowlands began acting in plays. She performed with different theater groups. She made her first appearance on Broadway in a play called The Seven Year Itch. She also traveled around the country with this play. In 1956, she starred in another Broadway play, Middle of the Night.

Gena also appeared in many TV shows. She was in a syndicated TV series called Top Secret from 1954 to 1955. She also guest-starred in popular shows like Robert Montgomery Presents and Studio One. In 1959, she appeared in the Western series Laramie. She was also in Johnny Staccato with her husband, John Cassavetes.

Her first movie role was in The High Cost of Loving in 1958. In 1962, she starred in the movie Lonely Are the Brave with famous actors Kirk Douglas and Walter Matthau.

Working with John Cassavetes (1963–1984)

Rowlands with husband John Cassavetes in TV series Johnny Staccato, 1959

Gena Rowlands and her husband, John Cassavetes, made ten movies together. These films were very important in her career. Some of their most famous collaborations include:

• A Child Is Waiting (1963)
• Faces (1968)
• Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)
• A Woman Under the Influence (1974) – This role earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination.
• Opening Night (1977)
• Gloria (1980) – She received another Academy Award nomination for this film.
• Love Streams (1984)

Their movies were often very real and showed deep human emotions.

Later Roles (1985–2014)

Rowlands at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival

In 1985, Gena Rowlands played a mother in the TV movie An Early Frost. She won an Emmy Award for playing former First Lady of the United States Betty Ford in The Betty Ford Story (1987).

In 1988, she starred in Woody Allen's movie Another Woman. She played a professor who starts to think about her own life after hearing someone else's therapy sessions. Critics praised her performance, saying she was "stunning."

In 2002, Gena appeared in the HBO movie Hysterical Blindness, winning her third Emmy. She also appeared in an episode of Numb3rs in 2006. She played a woman who survived the Nazis. Her family's painting was stolen, and an FBI agent helped her.

Many people know her from the romantic movie The Notebook (2004). In this film, she played the older version of the main character, Allie. Her son, Nick Cassavetes, directed this movie. In 2005, she was in the thriller The Skeleton Key.

In 2007, she acted in Broken English, which was directed by her daughter, Zoe Cassavetes. She also appeared in TV shows like Monk (2009) and NCIS (2010). Her last film role was in Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks in 2014. After that, she mostly retired from acting.

Personal Life

Gena Rowlands was married to director John Cassavetes from 1954 until he passed away in 1989. They met while they were both students at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. They had three children together: Nick, Alexandra, and Zoe. All of their children grew up to be actors and directors, just like their parents. In 2012, Gena married Robert Forrest, who was a retired businessman.

Gena Rowlands admired the actress Bette Davis when she was young. Later, she even got to play Bette Davis's daughter in a TV movie called Strangers in 1979.

Gena Rowlands passed away on August 14, 2024, at the age of 94. Her son, Nick Cassavetes, shared that she had been living with Alzheimer's disease for several years.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Awards and Nominations

Gena Rowlands received many awards and nominations throughout her long career. She was nominated for two Academy Awards, eight Primetime Emmy Awards, and eight Golden Globe Awards.

Some of the awards she won include:

• A Silver Bear for Best Actress
• Three Primetime Emmy Awards
• One Daytime Emmy Award
• Two Golden Globe Awards

In 2015, Gena Rowlands was given a special Honorary Academy Award for her unique acting style. This award recognized her as a true icon in independent films.

Academy Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards

Golden Globe Awards

Other Awards

Images for kids

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  Rowlands in 1961

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  Publicity photo, 1955

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  Rowlands on Laramie in 1959

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  Rowlands with husband John Cassavetes in TV series Johnny Staccato, 1959

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  Rowlands at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival

See also

In Spanish: Gena Rowlands para niños