What's Hot: Day-by-Day Fall Schedule; Celebs With Their Pets; Shows We Lost This Season; Idol Runner-Up Takes Pay Cut?

Gena Rowlands

Celebrity

Gena Rowlands: Biography

9 photos

Birth Name: Virginia Cathryn Rowlands
Birth Place: Cambria, WI
Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 06/19/1930, Gemini
Profession: Actor

User Rating:

(15 ratings)
Add Your Rating:

Gena Rowlands Fast Facts:

Made her film debut in 1958's The High Cost of Loving.
First met husband John Cassavetes when he approached her after seeing her on stage in an American Academy of Dramatic Arts production.
Is the only woman ever nominated for two Best Actress Academy Awards in films directed by her husband, A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980).
Her performance as unstable housewife Mabel Longhetti in A Woman Under the Influence ranked No. 63 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.
After her husband's death in 1989, she took a break from acting in films.
Appeared in the directorial debuts of her filmmaker children: her son Nick's Unhook the Stars (1996) and her daughter Zoe's Broken English (2007).

Gena Rowlands Relationships:
Edwyn Myrwyn Rowlands - Father
Mary Allen Rowlands - Mother
John Cassavetes - Husband (deceased)
Nick Cassavetes - Son
Alexandra Cassavetes - Daughter
Zoe Cassavetes - Daughter
David Rowlands - Brother
Gena Rowlands Awards:
1986 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Nominee
1987 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Winner
1992 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Winner
2003 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Winner
2000 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
2002 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
1984 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
1986 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
1975 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Winner
1978 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
1981 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
1993 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
1988 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Winner
2003 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
2007 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
1974 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Nominee
1980 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Nominee
2009 Emmy: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series - Nominee
2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries - Nominee
1996 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
College:
Attended University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; attended American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York, NY