News

Sad news in the land of Hollywood, as TMZ is reporting that Gena Rowlands, who played ‘Allie’ in The Notebook died the afternoon of Wednesday, August 14 at her Indian Wells, CA home. She was 94 years old.

As per reports, she was surrounded by family, including her husband Robert Forrest and daughter Alexandra Cassavetes. Reports also reveal that her director son, Nick Cassavetes, had been at the house quite frequently the week leading up to her passing.

Gena Rowlands, “The Notebook” Star – Cause Of Death

As of this writing, no official cause of death has been listed for the actress; however, she had been fighting Alzheimer’s.

Nick announced his mother’s condition on the 20th anniversary milestone of The Notebook, a movie he directed. Rowland’s character Allie in the film also battled the same illness.

Gena’s mother, actress Lady Rowlands, was also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s before her passing.

Gena Rowlands, a multiple Emmy winner whose captivating work in A Woman Under the Influence and as the elder and dementia-ridden Allie in The Notebook also moved moviegoers, died Wednesday surrounded by family at her home in Indian Wells, CA. She was 94.

No cause of death was given, but the retired actress had been battling Alzheimer’s disease, ironic in light of her famous film role.

She retired from Hollywood in 2015 after earning four Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes and two Oscar nominations. Her Oscar noms included A Woman Under the Influence and Gloria, both borne of collaborations with her late husband, John Cassavetes. The duo made an indelible mark on American independent film, not just for the often revelatory end product, but also for the DIY way they made their movies.

A Woman Under the Influence was prompted by Rowlands, who wanted to delve into the difficulties faced by...

Gena Rowlands, best known for her collaborations with husband John Cassavetes and her role in The Notebook, has died. She was 94. The retired actress died Wednesday afternoon, according to TMZ. She had been battling Alzheimer’s disease. Rowlands was born on June 19, 1930, in Cambria, Wisconsin. Her mother, Mary Allen, whose stage name was Lady Rowlands, was an actress. Her father, Edwin Myrwyn Reynolds, was a state senator and legislator. Rowlands attended the University of Wisconsin before moving to New York City to study drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. While a student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she met and fell in love with Cassavetes. They married in 1954. Rowlands made her television debut that same year in an episode of Top Secret. Her first film role was in the 1958 comedy The High Cost of Loving. Her early TV career included appearances on Johnny Staccato, Alfred Hitchcock Presents,...

Gena Rowlands has spent her career avoiding formality, delivering performances ranging from the unbound to the ritualistically controlled — and to watch her onscreen is to face the unknown. Each role brings viewers to the edge of their seat, uncertain which direction they’ll be spun toward by her frenzied commitment to every role, from a mentally ill housewife in “A Woman Under the Influence” to a theater actress staring down the barrel of a fading career in “Opening Night,” or a divorcee pacing with a martini in “Love Streams.” And despite the often hectic material she covered with her husband John Cassavetes, who directed all those films, her performances are always grounded in reality.

With Rowlands, acting becomes a gateway into understanding all the foibles and eccentricities of humanity at its best and worst. Recently, Rowlands’ son, actor/writer/director Nick Cassavetes, announced that his mother has been struggling with...

Gena Rowlands, the legendary actress who memorably played a woman with dementia in The Notebook, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, her son and the film’s director Nick Cassavetes has told Entertainment Weekly.

The 2004 movie classic directed by Cassavetes starred Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as a young couple who fall in love, but are kept apart by barriers of wealth and class. Their story is recounted years later by an elderly man played by James Garner to Rowlands, who is first identified a fellow nursing home resident with dementia. It’s later revealed that Garner and Rowlands are the married, older versions of the characters played by soulmates Gosling and McAdams.

“I got my mom to play older Allie, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer’s and wanting to be authentic with it, and now, for the last five years, she’s had Alzheimer’s,...

Celebrated actress and honorary Academy Award recipient Gena Rowlands has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Rowlands’ son, the director and actor Nick Cassavetes, revealed the news while speaking with Entertainment Weekly about the 20th anniversary of his film, The Notebook. In the movie, Rowlands famously played the older version of Allie, Rachel McAdams’ character, who was also suffering from dementia.

“I got my mom to play older Allie, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer’s and wanting to be authentic with it, and now, for the last five years,...

Gena Rowlands is living with Alzheimer’s disease, her son Nick Cassavetes announced in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly. Cassavetes, who directed his mother in 2004’s “The Notebook,” said Rowlands is “in full dementia.” A four-time Emmy winner and two-time Golden Globe winner, Rowlands is a screen icon best known for her acclaimed collaborations with husband John Cassavetes, including the films “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974) and “Gloria” (1980). Both performances earned her Oscar nominations for best actress. She received an honorary Academy Award in 2015.

Nick Cassavetes told Entertainment Weekly that his mother’s Alzheimer’s disease is made all the more surreal for him considering he directed her as a woman with dementia in “The Notebook.”

“I got my mom to play older Allie, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer’s and wanting to be authentic with it, and now, for the last five years,...

A Woman Under The Influence (1974) Direction and screenplay: John Cassavetes Cast: Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Fred Draper, Lady Rowlands, Katherine Cassavetes, Eddie Shaw Oscar Movies Peter Falk, Gena Rowlands, A Woman Under the Influence Steven Spielberg is a respected film director. Many will even call him an auteur. When you watch a Spielberg film, you know it's a Spielberg film — or at least one made by his myriad imitators. John Cassavetes is a respected film director. No one will deny the fact that Cassavetes is a film auteur. When you watch a Cassavetes film, you know it's a Cassavetes film — or at least a Henry Jaglom imitation of a Cassavetes film. Now, apart from self-important works like Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, it is still acceptable to dismiss Spielberg's films and even Spielberg himself. On the other hand, if you want to be taken seriously as an intellectual film connoisseur,...