Gena Rowlands
Gena Rowlands (born
June 19,
1930) is an
American actress.
She was born
Virginia Cathryn Rowlands in
Cambria, Wisconsin, she attended the
University of Wisconsin. Her father, Edwin Myrwyn Rowlands, was a state Assemblyman and her mother, Mary Allen Neal, was a housewife.
Rowlands appeared in
Broadway in the late 1950s, and made her film debut in
The High Cost of Loving in
1958. She starred in several anthology television series, including
Robert Montgomery Presents,
Kraft Television Theatre and
Studio One, among many others. In
1961 she starred in the well-received
television series 87th Precinct, and in
1964 in
Peyton Place.
Teaming with her husband, writer and director
John Cassavetes, Rowlands starred in many productions, including
Staccato,
A Child Is Waiting,
Faces,
Gloria (nomination for
Academy Award for Best Actress),
Love Streams,
Minnie and Moskowitz,
She's So Lovely, and
A Woman Under the Influence (
Academy Award nomination). She starred in
The Neon Bible. In
1985, Rowlands played the mother in the critically acclaimed made-for-TV movie
An Early Frost. In recent years, she has appeared in
Paulie and in
Mira Nair's
HBO movie,
Hysterical Blindness for which she won her third Emmy.
She was recently seen in
The Notebook, which was directed by her son,
Nick Cassavetes, and co-starred
James Garner,
Ryan Gosling and
Rachel McAdams. In 2004 she won her first Daytime Emmy for her role as Mrs. Evelyn Ritchie in
The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie. To name a few, Ms. Rowlands has been nominated for: two Academy Awards; six Emmy nominations, and 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.
*
Interview with Gena Rowlands
