Gena Rowlands

Blonde haired and 5'6" tall, Gena Rowlands was born on June 19, 1930, in Madison, Connecticut. American by nationality and of Caucasian ethnicity, she pursued acting from an early age, studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her career spanned over six decades, from 1955 to 2017, during which she became one of the most respected actresses in American cinema.

She is perhaps best known for her collaborations with her husband, actor-director John Cassavetes, in ten films, including A Woman Under the Influence and Gloria, both earning Academy Award nominations. Her role in Opening Night won her the Silver Bear for Best Actress. She also appeared in Woody Allen's Another Woman and, later, in her son Nick Cassavetes's film The Notebook. Her accolades include four Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and an Honorary Academy Award in 2015. In 2021, film critic Richard Brody called her "the most important and original movie actor of the past half century-plus."