How many kids did Gena Rowlands have? All about her family as The Notebook star dies aged 94

The Notebook actress, Gena Rowlands, passed away on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, at 94. TMZ first reported the unfortunate news, adding that she died surrounded by her family in her home in Indian Wells, California. A spokesperson for talent agency WME which represents Gena's son, Nick Cassavetes, later confirmed the same.

While details of her death remain undisclosed, Nick told Entertainment Weekly in June that she had been battling Alzheimer's since 2019.

Gena Rowlands was best known for her work with her actor-director husband, John Cassavetes. The duo worked on ten films, including A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980), which earned her Academy Award nominations for Best Actress.

The couple tied the knot in April 1954 and remained married until John's death in February 1989. They had three children, Nick, 65, Alexandra, 58, and Zoe, 54. Their kids followed the footsteps of their parents and forayed into the field of acting and filmmaking.

John Cassavetes died from cirrhosis in 1989. Gena Rowlands remarried a retired businessman, Robert Forrest, in 2012.

---

Gena Rowlands starred in her son's films: The Notebook, She's So Lovely, and Unhook the Stars

Hailing from Cambria, Wisconsin, Gena Rowlands studied drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. While auditioning to enter the academy, she met her future husband, John Cassavetes.

Throughout her nearly seven-decade-long career, she appeared in acclaimed movies and TV shows like Opening Night (1977), Another Woman (1988), Monk (2009), and The Betty Ford Story (1987). Her work earned several awards, including three Primetime Emmys, two Golden Globes, and a Daytime Emmy. In 2015, she received an honorary Oscar for her work in the filmmaking industry.

John Cassavetes was an independent filmmaker who rose to fame by starring in notable films and shows like Johnny Staccato (1959–1961), Rosemary's Baby (1968), and The Dirty Dozen (1967).

Gena's first husband John garnered acclaim as a director and was known for his organic, actor-centred approach to filmmaking. He prioritized raw relationships and the smallest of feelings rather than the traditional Hollywood method of storytelling. Talking about collaborating with John and his approach to moviemaking, Gena Rowland told The Hollywood Reporter in November 2015:

"John loved actors, and he had a particular interest in women. Women in movies, I should say! He was interested in women’s problems and where they are in society and what they have to overcome. He offered me some really wonderful parts."

Their eldest son, Nick Cassavetes, initially did not want to go into his field. He attended Syracuse University on a basketball scholarship. However, after an injury ended his athletic career, he attended Gena Rowland and John Cassavetes' alma mater, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.

Nick has starred in films like Face/Off (1997) and The Astronaut's Wife (1999). He has also directed several films, including The Notebook (2004), She's So Lovely (1997), and Unhook the Stars (1996), all of which featured Rowlands.

Their daughter, Alexandra "Xan" Cassavetes, also works in the industry, making her on-screen debut in John's 1970 comedy, Husbands. She has written and directed films like Kiss of the Damned (2012), New York, I Love You (2008), and Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004).

Meanwhile, their third child Zoe Cassavetes is a director, screenwriter, and actress. Gena Rowlands has appeared in Zoe's directorial debut, Broken English (2007).

---

Gena Rowlands is survived by her husband, children, and grandchildren.