Acclaimed actress Gena Rowlands has died at the age of 94.
The two-time Golden Globe winner died Wednesday afternoon at her home in Indian Wells, California, TMZ defeated.
She was surrounded by her family, including her husband of 12 years, Robert Forrest, and her eldest daughter Alexandra Cassavetes, 58.
No cause of death has been announced at this time.
She played the older version of actress Rachel McAdams’ Allie in her son Nick Cassavetes’ beloved 2004 film The Notebook, starring Ryan Gosling.
Nick, 65, recently revealed that his mother, like her heartbreaking character in The Notebook, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Notebook star Gena Rowlands has died at 94; seen in 2014
She played the older version of actress Rachel McAdams ‘Allie’ in her son Nick Cassavetes’ beloved 2004 film The Notebook starring Ryan Gosling
He revealed to Entertainment weekly in June 2024 that Gena had been battling the disease for five years and was now ‘completely demented.’
Nick said, “I got my mom to play the older Allie and we talked a lot about Alzheimer’s. We wanted to talk about it authentically and now she’s had Alzheimer’s for five years.
“She’s completely demented. And it’s so crazy — we lived through it, she played it, and now it’s our fault.”
Although she had a career in Hollywood for decades, Gena’s portrayal of Old Allie in The Notebook made the film a love story for the ages.
Based on the 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook tells the poignant love story between working-class Noah and wealthy Allie, who fall deeply in love and defy societal differences.
The film alternates between the impassioned youth of the unlikely couple and the present day, when an elderly Noah, disguised as “Duke,” reads their story from a notebook to a fellow nursing home resident: his wife Allie (Gena Rowlands), who now suffers from dementia.
To keep the spark alive and rekindle their romance despite her memory loss, Noah reads from a notebook Allie wrote in the early stages of her illness, describing their love story, to help her remember him.
In a 2004 interview with O-magazineRowlands spoke candidly about how her own mother’s battle with the disease influenced her decision to play Allie.
The two-time Golden Globe winner died Wednesday afternoon at her home in Indian Wells, California, TMZ reports; seen in 2016
She was surrounded by her family, including her husband of 12 years, Robert Forrest (pictured with Gena in 2006), and daughter Alexandra Cassavetes, 58
“I went through that with my mother, and if Nick hadn’t directed the film, I don’t think I would have done it — it’s just too hard. It was a tough film, but it was a beautiful film.”
Nick shared a bittersweet memory with Entertainment Weekly in June, reminiscing about his experiences directing his mother on The Notebook.
After showing the finished film to studio executives, they requested a reshoot. Specifically, they wanted Rowlands to show stronger emotions as her character rediscovers her memories and reunites with her love, Noah (James Garner).
Nick recounted the awkward moment he told his mother about the reshoots, and she wasn’t happy about it; “Let me get this straight. We’re reshooting because of my performance?” she said.
“We go to readmissions and now it’s one of those things where Mom is mad and I ask her, ‘Can you do it, Mom?’ She says, ‘I can do anything,’” Rowland’s son recalled.
‘I promise you, on my father’s life this is true: tears sprang from her eyes when she saw [Garner]and she burst into tears. And I thought, okay, well, we’ve got… It’s the only time I’ve ever been in trouble on set.’
Nick said he’s not only proud of the success of the film, which has become a cult classic romance film over the past 20 years, but he also looks back fondly on the moments he spent with his mother on set.
“It’s always a shock to hear that so much time has passed, but it makes sense. I’m just glad it exists,” he says, adding, “It seems to have worked and I’m very proud of it.”
Like her heartbreaking character in The Notebook, Gena’s son Nick Cassavettes revealed in June 2024 that his mother has been battling Alzheimer’s disease for the past five years; seen in The Notebook (2004)
“She’s completely demented. And it’s so crazy — we lived through it, she played it, and now it’s our fault,” he told Entertainment Weekly of his mother’s diagnosis; Nick can be seen presenting mother Gena with her Honorary Academy Award in 2015
Wisconsin-born Gena shone on screen and stage for seven decades before ending her impressive career in 2014 at the age of 84.
Many of her best performances were in collaboration with her husband, actor and director John Cassavetes, who died in 1989 and is the father of three children, Nick, Alexandra and Zoe, 54.
They worked together on a total of 10 films, including A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980). Her performances in both films earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
Although she missed out on the Oscars, A Woman Under the Influence did earn her a Golden Globe for her acting.
She also appeared in Woody Allen’s film Another Woman (1988), playing philosophy professor Marion Post who becomes fascinated with a psychiatric patient named Hope.
Gena has won four Emmy Awards for television and has appeared in a number of acclaimed miniseries and films, including The Betty Ford Story (1987).
She won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the former first lady.
Gena received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2009—the last of her career—for her memorable guest role on the American sitcom Monk.
Many of Gena’s best performances were in collaboration with her actor-director husband John Cassavetes, who died in 1989 and is the father of her three children Nick, Alexandra and Zoe, 54; the couple seen in 1975
They worked together on a total of 10 films, most notably A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980). Her performances in both films earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Seen in Gloria
In 2015, Gena was presented with an honorary Academy Award by her son Nick after she announced her retirement from acting (pictured)
In 2015, Gena received an Honorary Academy Award from her son Nick, after he announced her retirement from acting.
23 years after the death of her husband John Cassavetes in 1989, Gena married retired businessman Robert Forrest.
They married in 2012, but had been in a relationship since the early 2000s.
Robert has accompanied Gena to a number of premieres and events for her projects, including Hysterical Blindness (2002), The Notebook (2004) and The Da Vinci Code (2006).
