Icon of Independent Cinema: Remembering Gena Rowlands

Gena Rowlands, an iconic actress celebrated for her work in independent cinema and her collaborations with director husband John Cassavetes, has died at 94. Rowlands was known for films like 'A Woman Under the Influence' and 'Gloria,' earning multiple awards throughout her career. She passed away in Indian Wells, California.

Gena Rowlands, hailed as one of the greatest actors to ever practice the craft and a guiding light in independent cinema as a star in groundbreaking movies by her director husband, John Cassavetes, and who later charmed audiences in her son's tear-jerker "The Notebook," has died. She was 94. Rowlands' death was confirmed Wednesday by representatives for her son, filmmaker Nick Cassavetes. He revealed earlier this year that his mother had Alzheimer's disease. TMZ reported that Rowlands died Wednesday at her home in Indian Wells, California.

Operating outside the studio system, the husband-and-wife team of John Cassavetes and Rowlands created indelible portraits of working-class strivers and small-timers in such films as "A Woman Under the Influence", "Gloria" and "Faces".

Rowlands made 10 films across four decades with Cassavetes, including "Minnie and Moskowitz" in 1971, "Opening Night" in 1977 and "Love Streams" in 1984.

She earned two Oscar nods for two of them: 1974's "A Woman Under the Influence", in which she played a wife and mother cracking under the burden of domestic harmony, and "Gloria" in 1980, about a woman who helps a young boy escape the mob.

In addition to the Oscar nominations, Rowlands earned three Primetime Emmy Awards, one Daytime Emmy and two Golden Globes. She was awarded an honorary Academy Award in 2015 in recognition of her work and legacy in Hollywood.

In her later years, Rowlands made several appearances in films and TV, including in "The Skeleton Key" and the detective series "Monk". Her last appearance in a movie was in 2014, playing a retiree who befriends her gay dance instructor in "Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks".

One of her career triumphs was 1974's ''Woman Under the Influence'', playing a lower middle-class housewife who, the actor said, ''was totally vulnerable and giving; she had no sense of her own worth.'' In ''Gloria'' (1980), she portrayed a faded showgirl menaced by her ex-boyfriend, a mobster boss. She was Oscar nominated as best actress for both performances.

She and Cassavetes met at the American School of Dramatic Arts when both their careers were beginning. They married four months later. In 1960 Cassavetes used his earnings from the TV series ''Johnny Stacatto'' to finance his first film, ''Shadows''. Partly improvised, shot with natural light on New York locations with a USD 40,000 budget, it was applauded by critics for its stark realism.

Gena (pronounced Jenna) Rowlands became a seasoned actor through live television drama and tours in ''The Seven Year Itch'' and ''Time for Ginger'' as well as off-Broadway. Her big break came when Josh Logan cast her opposite Edward G Robinson in Paddy Chayefsky's play "Middle of the Night". Her role as a young woman in love with her much older boss brought reviews hailing her as a new star.

MGM offered her a contract for two pictures a year. Her first film, a comedy directed by and co-starring Jose Ferrer, "The High Cost of Loving", brought Rowlands comparisons to one of the great 1930s stars, Carole Lombard.

But she asked to be released from her contract because she was expecting a baby. Often during her career she would absent herself from the screen for long stretches to attend to family matters.

In addition to Nick, she and Cassavetes had two daughters, Alexandra and Zoe, who also pursued acting careers.

John Cassavetes died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1989, and Rowlands returned to acting to assuage her grief. Between assignments she sometimes attended film festivals and societies for Cassavetes screenings.

"I want everyone to see his films," she said at the San Sebastian Festival in 1992. "John was one of a kind, the most totally fearless person I've ever known. He had a very specific view of life and the individuality of people." Virginia Cathryn Rowlands was born in 1930 (some sources give a later date) in Cambria, Wisconsin, where her Welsh ancestors had settled in the early 19th century. Her father was a banker and state senator. She was a withdrawn child who loved books and make-believe. Her mother encouraged the girl's ambition to become an actor.

(With inputs from agencies.)