Biography
An alumnus of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Wisconsin-born actress Gena Rowlands entered the Broadway talent pool in 1952. From 1955 through 1957, the blonde, frosty-eyed actress co-starred with Edward G. Robinson in the original Broadway production of Middle of the Night. She also did plenty of Manhattan-based television during this period, including a recurring role on the forgotten syndicated series Top Secret U.S.A.
Rowlands made her first film,
The High Cost of Loving, in 1958, the same year that she married legendary actor/director
John Cassavetes. The excellent response to her performance as the deaf-mute wife of a detective on the 1961 TV series 87th Precinct sparked a grass-roots campaign to have Rowlands appear on the series on a weekly basis, but her film commitments were such that she couldn't be confined to any one part for very long. Always a capable leading lady, Rowlands blossomed into full stardom in the films directed by her husband. She first collaborated with him on
A Child Is Waiting (1963) and then starred as a prostitute in his 1968 film
Faces. Rowlands went on to earn Oscar nominations for her work in two of her husband's other films,
A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and
Gloria (1980).
After Cassavetes' death in 1989, Rowlands took a two-year sabbatical from films, returning to play
Holly Hunter's mother -- and
Richard Dreyfuss' mother-in-law -- in
Once Around (1991). That same year, she appeared as a casting agent in
Jim Jarmusch's
Night on Earth. After starring in such films as 1995's
The Neon Bible and
Something to Talk About (the latter of which featured her as the "steel magnolia" wife of
Robert Duvall and mother of
Julia Roberts), Rowlands stepped in front the camera for her son
Nick Cassavetes' 1996 directorial debut,
Unhook the Stars. The actress turned in a strong performance as a matriarch experiencing various life upheavals, and the following year again collaborated with her son in his romantic comedy
She's So Lovely. Rowlands continued to stay busy with work for other directors, appearing in no less than three films in 1998. Particularly notable appearances included her role as
Sean Connery's estranged wife in
Playing by Heart and her portrayal of the grandmother of a disabled boy in
The Mighty. In addition to her film work, Rowlands has earned considerable acclaim for her television roles. In 1985, she earned an Emmy nomination for her role in the powerful AIDS drama
An Early Frost, and has won Emmys for her performances in
The Betty Ford Story (1987) and
Face of a Stranger (1991). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide