Gena Rowlands , the legendary actress who became one of the first major faces of American independent film through her collaborations with her late husband John Cassavetes, has died at the age of 94. Rowlands, who had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, died on Wednesday, August 14 in the afternoon at her home in Indian Wells, California, according to multiple media reports. No cause of death was given.
Born in Cambria, Wisconsin in 1930, Rowlands began acting in stage productions in the 1950s, gradually working her way up from regional theater to Broadway before becoming a regular presence on television. By the end of the decade she was frequently leading TV movies and making guest appearances on major network shows. In 1954, Rowlands married John Cassavetes, who would go on to become her most important collaborator.
Rowlands starred in ten films written and directed by Cassavetes, many of which were self-financed and quickly shot with close friends in between his bigger acting jobs. Their films were characterized by their unvarnished social realism, improvised dialogue, and long scenes that required actors to bear the brunt of the narrative burden. Their work laid the foundation for American independent film as we know it today, providing both a business model and artistic inspiration to countless filmmakers who went on to make their own films outside the studio system.
Rowlands’ first film with Cassavetes was the 1963 film “A Child Is Waiting,” which saw her s.