The Notebook actress Gena Rowlands dies aged 94

Gena Rowlands poses for a portrait. Credit: AP

American actress Gena Rowland has died aged 94 at her home in California on Wednesday.

Rowland, celebrated as one of the greatest actors and a pioneer in independent cinema, gained fame in her husband John Cassavetes' groundbreaking films and later won hearts in the movie The Notebook.

Her death was confirmed by representatives for her son, filmmaker Nick Cassavetes, on Wednesday.

Rowland's son is the director of the 2004 film The Notebook, in which she starred as Old Allie.

Earlier this year he revealed that his mother was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

John Cassavetes and Rowlands crafted portrayals of working-class lives in films like A Woman Under the Influence, Gloria and Faces.

Gena Rowlands in Los Angeles In 1957. Credit: AP

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She starred in 10 films with Cassavetes over four decades, including Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), Opening Night (1977), and Love Streams (1984).

She earned two Oscar nominations for her roles in A Woman Under the Influence (1974), where she played a wife and mother unravelling under domestic pressure, and Gloria (1980), where she portrayed a woman helping a young boy escape the mob.

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