Gena Rowlands, renowned for her role in The Notebook alongside Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, passed away on August 14 at her California home. She was 94 years old.
The acting world is mourning a significant loss.
Gena Rowlands, who portrayed the older version of Rachel McAdams’ character Allie in the 2004 romance *The Notebook*, passed away on August 14 at her home in Indian Wells, California. She was 94. The news was confirmed by her son, Nick Cassavetes’ agent.
The cause of her death has not been disclosed.
We reached out to representatives for Gena and Nick Cassavetes but has not yet received a response.
Two months before her passing, Nick—who directed *The Notebook*—revealed that his mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 88. He emphasized the poignant connection between her performance and her personal struggle with the condition.
“I got my mom to play older Allie, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer’s and wanting to be authentic with it,” Nick told Entertainment Weekly in a June 25 article. “Now, for the last five years, she’s had Alzheimer’s. She’s in full dementia. It’s surreal—we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s our reality.”
Gena Rowlands was not only celebrated for her role in The Notebook. After making her film debut in The High Cost of Living in 1958, she went on to feature in numerous TV series and films. Among her extensive body of work, she collaborated on ten projects with her late husband, John Cassavetes, whom she married in 1954.
Notably, two of their collaborations—A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980)—earned Rowlands Academy Award nominations for Best Actress.
Although John Cassavetes passed away in 1989, Gena—who also shared daughters Alexandra and Zoe with him—was delighted to witness his passion for film being carried on by their son, Nick.
In a 2004 interview with O Magazine, Gena Rowlands reflected on working with her son Nick on *The Notebook*, saying, “You might expect Nick to distance himself to maintain the director-actor dynamic, but he didn’t. I was struck by how he was completely in control as a director while also showing me such tenderness and respect.”
She continued, “I have immense respect for him, but I also remember thinking, ‘That’s my little guy!'”
