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Gena Rowlands, a highly decorated actress in the world of movies and film across six decades, has died at the age of 94. She is best known for playing the older version of Allie in one of the best 2000s movies (and greatest romantic films), The Notebook.
Rowlands reportedly died on Wednesday at her home in Indian Wells, California while being surrounded by her family, per TMZ. While the cause of death has not yet been revealed, her son and The Notebook‘s director Nick Cassavetes shared in June that she had been dealing with Alzheimer’s for the past five years as The Notebook celebrated its 20th anniversary.
The actress is survived by her second husband, Robert Forest, whom she married in 2012, and her three children, who have all gotten into the Hollywood business as filmmakers and actors. Per the report, all four of her closest family members were with Gena Rowlands when she died. Nick Cassavetes also apparently has been spending a lot more frequent time with his mother in the past week leading up to the passing.
When Cassavetes spoke about his mother most recently, he shared that she had gone into “full dementia.” It was particularly ironic for the family to go through after her most famous character, The Notebook‘s Allie, was dealing with the same ailment in the Nicholas Sparks book. Previously, when Gena Rowlands spoke about taking the role, she shared that it was a difficult one for her because her mother, Lady Rowlands, also had Alzheimer’s.
Rowlands was born in Cambria, Wisconsin back in 1930. After studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, she got started in her career in the early ’50s by being part of the Broadway production of The Seven Year Itch. Amidst finding a bunch of work in the ’50s and ’60s on television programs, she met her first husband John Cassavetes, who she would go on to work with, with him as her director, in ten films. This includes 1974’s A Woman Under The Influence and 1980’s Gloria, both of which scored her Academy Award nominations for Best Actress.
Across her career, she was also nominated for eight Primetime Emmys, three of which she won, and was also recognized by the Golden Globes with eight nominations and two wins. One that particularly stands out is her depiction of President Gerald Ford’s wife and First Lady in 1987’s The Betty Ford Story.
Gena Rowlands was a working actress up until 2015, when she shared she was greatly retired. Some of her notable later in life projects were The Skeleton Key with Kate Hudson and John Hurt, and the HBO movie Hysterical Blindness. Rowlands’ lifetime of work in Hollywood will continue to be her legacy. We send our deep condolences to the family, friends and fans of the actor.
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