Gena Rowlands, a legend of American independent cinema and the favourite actress of director John Cassavettes, to whom she was married, has died at the age of 94 at her home in Indian Wells, California, after five years living with Alzheimer’s, a disease that she herself played in one of her last roles, that of Allie, in the film ‘The Notebook’ (2004) directed by her son Nick Cassavettes.
With John Cassavettes – to whom she was married from 1954 until his death in 1984 – Rowland gave life to her most beloved characters, such as Myrtle Gordon in ‘Opening Night’ (1977), embodying emotionally complex, strong and independent middle-aged women who were also vulnerable and tormented. For her roles in ‘A Woman Under the Influence’ (1974) and ‘Gloria’ (1989), Rowland received Oscar nominations. In total, Rowlands directed ten films with Cassavettes.
During their marriage, Rowlands and Cassavettes formed one of the golden couples of American independent cinema during the 70s and 80s. Cassavettes, behind the camera, and Rowlands, in front, were pioneers in betting on a realistic and raw independent cinema that rejected the style of the big Hollywood productions and focused on the subtlety of the feelings of its protagonists.
Cassavettes’ films, and Rowlands’ work in particular, have inspired a number of works in recent times. Róisín Murphy was inspired by Rowlands in the ‘Hairless Toys’ era (2015). In addition, ‘Opening Night’ gave its title to a song by Jessica Pratt, while in John Kaufman’s ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ (2020), a scene was dedicated to analysing Rowlands’ role in ‘A Woman Under the Influence’.
But Rowlands did not only work with Cassavettes and in Woody Allen’s ‘Another Woman’ (1988) she played another of her best and most acclaimed characters. Her last role in a film was in 2014, in ‘Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks’.
