Gena Rowlands (born June 19 1930) is an American actress who has twice been nominated for an Academy Award, and has won three Emmy Awards for her performances.
Born to Edwyn Myrwyn Rowlands, a banker and a state legislator (Assembly, 1927-1935; Senate, 1935-1939) and his wife Mary Allen Neal, a painter, she was raised in Cambria, Wisconsin, until her father was appointed to a position in the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1939. After the Washington years, the family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesotta in 1942.
Attended the University of Wisconsin from 1947 to 1950, when she left for New York City to study drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Mother of Nick Cassavetes, Alexandra Cassavetes and Zoe R. Cassavetes .
She and John Cassavetes made 10 movies together: Child Is Waiting, A (1963), Faces (1968/I), Gloria (1980), Love Streams (1984), Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), Opening Night (1977), Woman Under the Influence, A (1974), Intoccabili, Gli (1968), Two-Minute Warning (1976) and Tempest (1982).
Sister of David Rowlands (II).
Her performance as Mabel Longhetti in Woman Under the Influence, A (1974) is ranked #63 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
Name rhymes with henna.
Has suppressed the first version of her husband's (John Cassavetes) film Shadows (1959) and will neither allow it to be shown, nor acknowledge its existence.
Favorite actress of Maggie Gyllenhaal.
As of 2007, she is one of six women, who have received Best Actress nominations for performances directed by their spouses. The other five are Frances McDormand for Fargo (1996), Joanne Woodward (I) for Rachel, Rachel (1968), Julie Andrews (I) for Victor Victoria (1982), Elisabeth Bergner for Escape Me Never (1935) and Jean Simmons (I) for Happy Ending, The (1969). Jules Dassin also directed his future wife Melina Mercouri in an Oscar-nominated performance (Pote tin Kyriaki (1960)), but they weren't married yet at the time of the nomination.
Grandmother of Sasha Cassavetes and Virginia Cassavetes.
Daughter of Lady Rowlands.
Mother-in-law of Heather Wahlquist.
Pedro Almodóvar dedicated his movie Todo sobre mi madre (1999) to her, Bette Davis and Romy Schneider.
