Gena Rowlands, Star of ‘The Notebook’ and ‘A Woman Under the Influence,’ Dies at 94

 

Gena Rowlands, whose seminal and fearless performance in "A Woman Under the Influence" inspired a generation, and who starred in many other John Cassavetes features as well as the romance "The Notebook," passed away on Wednesday at her home in Indian Wells, Calif. She was 94.

Her death was confirmed by the office of her son’s agent. In June, Nick Cassavetes, who directed his mother in "The Notebook," revealed that the three-time Emmy winner and two-time Oscar nominee had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Rowlands’ role as Mabel Longhetti in the 1974 drama "A Woman Under the Influence," written for her and directed by her husband John Cassavetes, earned her the first of two Academy Award nominations. The other nomination was for "Gloria" (1980), also directed by her husband. In November 2015, she received an honorary Academy Award at the annual Governors Awards in recognition of her storied career.