After starting her career in theater and numerous 1950s TV series, Gena Rowlands emerged as a key figure in American independent cinema in the 1960s. While her career encompasses much more, it is her unforgettable performances in the films of John Cassavetes, her husband and creative partner for 35 years, that established her as a legendary actress, embodying a unique and iconic representation of femininity on screen.
Winner of the Golden Lion, 1980 Venice International Film Festival
Gloria, an ex-call girl, reluctantly agrees to look after a six-year-old boy whose father is a mafioso who has betrayed his organization. When her family is murdered by gangsters, Gloria takes the boy on the run...
John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as an actor on television and in film, he also became a pioneer of American independent cinema, writing and directing movies financed in part with income from his acting work. Cassavetes' films employed an actor-centered approach which prioritized raw character relationships and "small feelings" over traditional Hollywood storytelling, method acting, and stylization. His films became associated with an improvisational aesthetic and a cinéma vérité feel. As a director, he is known for Shadows (1959), Faces (1968), Husbands (1970), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), and Opening Night (1977).
Gena Rowlands
Gena Rowlands was an American actress, whose career in film, stage, and television spanned nearly seven decades. A four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner, she collaborated with her actor-director husband John Cassavetes in ten films, including A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980), both of which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for Opening Night (1977). She appeared in her son Nick Cassavetes's film, The Notebook (2004). In 2021, Richard Brody of The New Yorker said she was "the most important and original movie actor of the past half century-plus." In November 2015, Rowlands received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of her unique screen performances.
