Gena Rowlands, the acclaimed two-time Oscar-nominated actress with over 100 film and television credits, has been revealed to have Alzheimer’s disease by her son, director Nick Cassavetes. The news was shared during a conversation with Entertainment Weekly discussing the 20th anniversary of their film, 'The Notebook.'
In 'The Notebook,' directed by Cassavetes, Rowlands portrayed the older version of the lead character, Allie, who was depicted as living with Alzheimer’s in the storyline. Cassavetes mentioned that they had extensive discussions about Alzheimer’s to ensure authenticity in the portrayal, drawing from their personal experiences. He revealed that for the past five years, Rowlands has been battling Alzheimer’s and is currently in full dementia.
