Gena Rowlands pushed the boundaries of American acting, displaying an emotional range associated with films by European masters like Ingmar Bergman and Frederico Fellini.
Her performances in "A Woman Under the Influence" and "Opening Night," both directed by her husband, John Cassavetes, stand out in her long and distinguished career.
Rowlands, who along with Cassavetes pioneered the independent film movement in the United States, died Wednesday at age 94 at her home in Indian Wells, Calif., her son, Nick Cassavetes, announced. No cause was given, but she suffered from Alzheimer's disease, the subject of her 2004 film "The Notebook," directed by her son.
Known for her beauty, Rowlands could display cool film glamor and earthy sensuality. She possessed a gift for comedy as well as dramatic depth.
In "A Woman Under the Influence," Rowlands in her audacious performance as the bipolar housewife Mabel Longhetti explores a woman's volatile personality shifts during a descent into madness.
Risking pushing the portrayal too far, Rowlands remains grounded in Mabel's ordinary good humor and love for her construction worker husband, portrayed by Peter Falk. She shows a woman breaking away from society's pressure to play a role of decorum.
Rowlands shows a different side of a woman's desperation and madness in "Opening Night," in which she portrays the aging theater star Myrtle Gordon. As the cool glamorous actress, Rowlands exhibits a restraint lacking in her Mabel Longhetti role.
The winner of four Emmys and an honorary Academy Award for career achievement, Rowlands also excelled in more mainstream roles. Her performances in "A Woman Under the Influence" and "Opening Night" will stand among the most dynamic in film history.
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