Gena Rowlands

She was recently in The Notebook, which was directed by her son, Nick Cassavetes. Her final film, The Age of Innocence (1993) was released shortly after her death. In recent years she has appeared in Paulie and in Mira Nair's HBO movie, Hysterical Blindness. She was married to the actor Craig Stevens from 1944 until her death in Los Angeles, California from brain cancer. She starred in The Neon Bible. In 1972 she won a Tony Award for "Best Actress in a Musical" for her role in Follies, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for a guest appearance in the sitcom Cheers in 1990. 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, Two Minute Warning and A Woman Under the Influence (Academy Award nomination). In her later years she concentrated mainly on stage and television appearances.

In 1961 she starred in the well-received television series 87th Precinct, and in 1964 in Peyton Place. Carrolls, (1947) and The Young Philadelphians (1959). She starred in several anthology television series, including Robert Montgomery Presents, Kraft Television Theatre and Studio One, among many others. Some of her other films include Rhapsody In Blue (1945), Of Human Bondage (1946), The Two Mrs. Rowlands appeared in Broadway in the late 1950s, and made her film debut in The High Cost of Loving in 1958. Her earliest roles were uncredited bit parts and it took several years for her career to gain momentum, but her appearance in The Constant Nymph was well received and let to bigger parts. During the forties she appeared opposite some of the most popular male stars such as Errol Flynn in San Antonio (1945). Her father was a state Assemblyman. Born Gladys Smith in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, she was signed to a contract by Warner Brothers Studios when seen appearing in a play.