Lady Rowlands (born Mary Allen Neal; April 12, 1904 – May 28, 1999) was an American film actress. Most of her work came in the films of

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes ( ; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as a television and film actor, Cassavetes also helped pioneer American independent cinema, writing and dire ...

, who was married to her daughter, the Academy Award-nominated and four-time

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-winning actress

Gena Rowlands Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands (born June 19, 1930) is an American retired actress, whose career in film, stage, and television has spanned seven decades. A four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner, she is known for her collaborations ...

Life and career

Rowlands was the daughter of Tennessee Virginia (née Hickey) and William Joel Neal of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

descent. She was married to

Edwin Myrwyn Rowlands Edwin Myrwyn Rowlands (April 1, 1901 – March 28, 1961) was a Welsh-American member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate. He was born in Cambria, Wisconsin, the son of Emma (née Davies) and David Morris Rowlands, o ...

, a banker and statesman, with whom she lived in

Cambria, Wisconsin Cambria is a village in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 767 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The town was incorporated in 1866. It was first called Florence, or La ...

. They had two children, David and Virginia (later known as

). She lived as a housewife, but practiced music, acting, and painting as hobbies. Rowlands later moved to California along with her daughter and son-in-law, actor John Cassavetes. Cassavetes began directing films, and cast Rowlands in three of his pictures. She adopted the screen-name "Lady Rowlands", a nickname given by her grandchildren. In ''

Minnie and Moskowitz ''Minnie and Moskowitz'' is a 1971 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring his wife Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel in the title roles of Minnie and Moskowitz, respectively. Plot Seymour Moskow ...

'' (1971) and ''

A Woman Under the Influence ''A Woman Under the Influence'' is a 1974 American drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes. The story follows a woman (Gena Rowlands) whose unusual behavior leads to conflict with her blue-collar husband (Peter Falk) and family. It rec ...

'' (1974), she played the mother of her real-life daughter. Her home was used for the filming of ''

Faces The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...

'' (1968) and ''

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie ''The Killing of a Chinese Bookie'' is a 1976 American neo-noir crime film written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring Ben Gazzara. A rough and gritty film, this is the second of their three collaborations, following ''Husbands'' and pre ...

'' (1976). Aside from her work with Cassavetes, Rowlands also appeared in two television movies and had a role in the film ''

Ted & Venus ''Ted & Venus'' is a 1991 American comedy-drama film directed by Bud Cort, written by Cort and Paul Ciotti and featuring an all-star cast including Brian Thompson. The original music is composed by David Robbins. The film was initially released ...

'' (1991). Her grandchildren,

Nick Cassavetes Nicholas David Rowland Cassavetes (born May 21, 1959) is an American actor, director, and writer. He has directed such films as ''She's So Lovely'' (1997), ''John Q.'' (2002), ''The Notebook'' (2004), '' Alpha Dog'' (2006), and '' My Sister's Kee ...

Alexandra Cassavetes Alexandra "Xan" Cassavetes is an American actress and director. She is the daughter of Greek-American actor-director John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands. She is the granddaughter of actress Katherine Cassavetes. She is the sister of actor- ...

, and

Zoe Cassavetes Zoe Rowlands Cassavetes (born June 29, 1970) is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She is the daughter of filmmaker John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands. She is best known for her 2007 film ''Broken English''. Career C ...

, are all actors and film directors.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowlands, Lady 1904 births 1999 deaths American film actresses American people of Irish descent Cassavetes family 20th-century American actresses People from Cambria, Wisconsin