Gena Rowlands (born June 19, 1930) is an
American actress of film, stage and television. The four-time
Emmy and two-time
Golden Globe winner is best known for her collaborations with her actor-director husband
John Cassavetes in ten films, in two of which,
Gloria and
A Woman Under the Influence, she gave
Academy Award-nominated performances.
Early years
Born as
Virginia Cathryn Rowlands in
Madison, Wisconsin,
Her father,
Edwin Myrwyn Rowlands, was a banker and a state legislator,
and her mother, Mary Allen (
née Neal), was a
painter and housewife originally from
Arkansas.
The family moved to
Washington, D.C. in 1939 when Edwin was appointed to a position in the
United States Department of Agriculture; moved to
Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1942 when he was appointed as branch manager of the
Office of Price Administration;
and later moved to
Minneapolis, Minnesota. From 1947-50, she attended the
University of Wisconsin,
where she was a popular student already renowned for her beauty.
She left for
New York City to study drama at the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Career
Stage and television
In the early 1950s, Rowlands performed with
repertory theatre companies and at the
Provincetown Playhouse. She made her
Broadway debut in
The Seven Year Itch and toured in a national production of the play. Rowlands guest starred on such anthology television series as
Robert Montgomery Presents,
Appointment with Adventure,
Kraft Television Theatre, and
Studio One (1955). In 1956, she starred in
Middle of the Night opposite
Edward G. Robinson. She appeared alongside husband Cassavetes on an episode ("Fly Baby, Fly") of the 1959–60
NBC detective series
Johnny Staccato.
In 1961–62, she starred as the
deaf-mute wife of
Robert Lansing on
87th Precinct. In that same season, she appeared on
Target: The Corruptors! Thereafter, she guest starred in
The Lloyd Bridges Show and
Breaking Point. In 1963 she guest-starred in an episode on the television series
Bonanza and
The Virginian. In 1967, she was cast as socialite Adrienne Van Leyden in the prime time
soap opera Peyton Place. She also guest-starred that year in the
western series
The Road West, starring
Barry Sullivan,
Andrew Prine and
Glenn Corbett. In 1975, she appeared with
Peter Falk,
Oskar Werner, and
Martha Scott in the
Columbo episode
Playback, playing wheelchair-using Elizabeth Van Wick, whose husband (Werner) murders her wealthy mother (Scott).
In 1985, Rowlands played the mother in the critically acclaimed made-for-TV movie
An Early Frost. She appeared in
Mira Nair's
HBO movie
Hysterical Blindness for which she won her third Emmy. She also won an Emmy for her portrayal of former first lady
Betty Ford in the 1987 made-for-TV movie
The Betty Ford Story.
Cassavetes films
Rowlands made her film debut in
The High Cost of Loving in 1958. She and Cassavetes made ten films together:
A Child is Waiting (1963),
Faces (1968),
Machine Gun McCain (1969),
Minnie and Moskowitz (1971),
A Woman Under the Influence (1974; nomination for
Academy Award for Best Actress),
Two-Minute Warning (1976),
Opening Night (1977),
Gloria (1980; nomination for
Academy Award for Best Actress),
Tempest (1982), and
Love Streams (1984).
According to
Boston University film scholar
Ray Carney, Rowlands sought to suppress an early version of Cassavetes' first film,
Shadows, that Carney says he rediscovered after decades of searching.
Rowlands also became involved in the screenings of
Husbands and
Love Streams, according to Carney. The
UCLA Film and Television Archive mounted a restoration of
Husbands, as it was pruned down (without Cassavetes' consent, and in violation of his contract) by
Columbia Pictures several months after its release, in an attempt to restore as much of the removed content as possible. At Rowlands' request,
UCLA created an alternate print with almost ten minutes of content edited out, as Rowlands felt that these scenes were in poor taste. The alternate print is the only one that has been made available for rental.
Post-Cassavetes films
Rowlands was seen in
The Notebook, which was directed by her son
Nick Cassavetes, opposite
James Garner. In 2004, she won her first
Daytime Emmy for her role as Mrs. Evelyn Ritchie in
The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie.
Rowlands has been nominated for two
Academy Awards, eight
Emmies, one Daytime Emmy, eight
Golden Globes, three
Satellite Awards, and one
SAG Award. Some of her notable wins include a Silver Berlin Bear; three Emmy Awards and one Daytime Emmy; two Golden Globes; two
National Board of Review Awards; two
Satellite Awards; and one Prize San Sebastián. In 2005, she appeared opposite
Kate Hudson,
Peter Sarsgaard, and
John Hurt in the
gothic thriller
The Skeleton Key.
[citation needed]
In 2007, she played a supporting role opposite
Parker Posey and
Melvil Poupaud in
Broken English, an independent American feature written and directed by her daughter
Zoe Cassavetes. In 2009, she appeared on an episode of
Monk ("Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door"). On March 2, 2010, she appeared on an episode of
NCIS as lead character
Leroy Jethro Gibbs's former mother-in-law, who is embroiled in a murder investigation.
Personal life
Rowlands was married to
John Cassavetes from April 9, 1954, until his death on February 3, 1989. They had three children, all actor-directors:
Nick,
Alexandra, and
Zoe.
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1958 The High Cost of Loving Jenny Fry
1959 Shadows Woman in Nightclub Audience Uncredited
1962 Lonely Are the Brave Jerry Bondi
1962 The Spiral Road Els
1963 A Child Is Waiting Sophie Widdicombe Benham
1967 Tony Rome Rita Kosterman
1968 Faces Jeannie Rapp
1969 Machine Gun McCain Rosemary Scott Aso known as Gli intoccabili
1971 Minnie and Moskowitz Minnie Moore
1974 A Woman Under the Influence Mabel Longhetti Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
National Board of Review Award for Best Actress
San Sebastián International Film Festival Prize for Best Actress
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
1975 Columbo: Playback Elizabeth Van Wick
1976 Two-Minute Warning Janet
1977 Opening Night Myrtle Gordon Silver Bear for Best Actress[10]
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1978 The Brink's Job Mary Pino
1978 A Question of Love Linda Ray Guettner
1979 Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter Abigail Mason
1980 Gloria Gloria Swenson Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1982 Tempest Antonia Dimitrius
1982 Shelly Duvall's Faerie Tale Theater: Season 2 - Rapunzel The Witch
1983 Thursday's Child Victoria Alden Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
1984 Love Streams Sarah Lawson Nastro d'Argento Best Actress
1985 An Early Frost Katherine Pierson Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
1987 Light of Day Jeanette Rasnick
1987 The Betty Ford Story Betty Ford Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
1988 Another Woman Marion Post
1990 Hollywood Mavericks Herself
1991 Once Around Marilyn Bella
1991 Night on Earth Victoria Snelling
1991 Ted & Venus Mrs. Turner
1991 Face of a Stranger Pat Foster Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
1992 Crazy in Love Honora Swift Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
1993 Silent Cries Peggy Sutherland
1993 Anything for John Herself
1994 Parallel Lives Francie Pomerantz
1995 Something to Talk About Georgia King
1995 The Neon Bible Mae Morgan
1996 Unhook the Stars Mildred 'Millie' Hawks Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
1997 She's So Lovely Miss Jane Green
1998 Paulie Ivy
1998 Hope Floats Ramona Calvert Lone Star Film & Television Award for Best Supporting Actress
1998 The Mighty Gram
1998 Playing by Heart Hannah
1999 The Weekend Laura Ponti Nominated — Seattle International Film Festival Citation of Excellence for Ensemble Cast Performance
2000 Light Keeps Me Company Herself - interviewee
2000 The Color of Love: Jacey's Story Georgia Porter Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
2001 Wild Iris Minnie Brinn Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
2003 Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There Herself
2003 Hysterical Blindness Virginia Miller Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
2004 The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie Evelyn Ritchie Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children/Youth/Family Special
2004 Taking Lives Mrs. Asher
2004 The Notebook Allie Calhoun Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
2005 The Skeleton Key Violet Devereaux Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
2006 Paris, je t'aime Gena (segment "Quartier Latin")
2007 Broken English Vivien Wilder-Mann
2007 Persepolis Marjane's grandmother
2007 What If God Were the Sun? Melissa Eisenbloom Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2009 Monk Marge Johnson Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
2010 NCIS Joann Fielding
2011 Olive First feature-length film made on a cell phone by first-time director Hooman Khalili
