Early roles (1952–1967) In the early 1950s, Rowlands performed with
repertory theatre companies and at the
Provincetown Playhouse. She made her
Broadway debut in
The Seven Year Itch and toured in a national production of the play. In 1956, she starred in the Broadway play
Middle of the Night opposite
Edward G. Robinson. '' in 1959 Rowlands costarred with
Paul Stewart in the 26-episode syndicated TV series
Top Secret (1954–55). She guest-starred on such anthology television series as
Robert Montgomery Presents,
Armstrong Circle Theatre,
Studio One,
Appointment with Adventure,
The United States Steel Hour, and
Goodyear Television Playhouse, all in 1955. In 1959, Rowlands appeared in the Western series
Laramie, alongside her husband
John Cassavetes in the detective series
Johnny Staccato, and in the
Western series
Riverboat, starring
Darren McGavin. In 1961, she appeared in the adventure series
The Islanders, set in the South Pacific, and in
Target: The Corruptors!, starring
Stephen McNally. She guest-starred in
The Lloyd Bridges Show, the detective series
77 Sunset Strip,
Kraft Suspense Theatre, the Westerns
Bonanza and
The Virginian, and
Breaking Point, all in 1963. In 1964, she guest-starred in the
medical drama Dr. Kildare and in two episodes of ''
Burke's Law. She appeared in four episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, three of which were after the series had been renamed The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
. In 1967, she was cast as socialite Adrienne Van Leyden in the prime-time ABC soap opera Peyton Place''. in TV series
Johnny Staccato, 1959 Rowlands made her film debut in
The High Cost of Loving in 1958. In 1962, she starred in director
David Miller's
Lonely Are the Brave, with
Kirk Douglas and
Walter Matthau. She played the former lover of the Kirk Douglas character, now the wife of the Douglas character's best friend.
Cassavetes era (1963–1984) Rowlands and Cassavetes made ten films together:
A Child Is Waiting (1963),
Faces (1968),
Machine Gun McCain (1969),
Minnie and Moskowitz (1971),
A Woman Under the Influence (1974; nomination for
Academy Award for Best Actress),
Two-Minute Warning (1976),
Opening Night (1977),
Gloria (1980; nomination for
Academy Award for Best Actress),
Tempest (1982), and
Love Streams (1984). According to
Boston University film scholar
Ray Carney, Rowlands sought to suppress an early version of Cassavetes's first film,
Shadows, that Carney says he rediscovered after decades of searching. Rowlands also became involved in the screenings of
Husbands and
Love Streams, according to Carney. The
UCLA Film and Television Archive mounted a restoration of
Husbands, as it was pruned down (without Cassavetes's consent, and in violation of his contract) by
Columbia Pictures several months after its release, in an attempt to restore as much of the removed content as possible. At Rowlands's request,
UCLA created an alternative print with almost ten minutes of content edited out, as Rowlands felt that these scenes were in poor taste. The alternative print is the only one that has been made available for rental.
Late career (1985–2014) In 1985, Rowlands played the mother in the critically acclaimed made-for-TV movie
An Early Frost. She won an Emmy for her portrayal of former
First Lady of the United States Betty Ford in the 1987 made-for-TV movie
The Betty Ford Story. In 1988, Rowlands starred in
Woody Allen's dramatic film
Another Woman. She played Marion Post, a middle-aged professor who is prompted to a journey of self-discovery when she overhears the therapy sessions of another woman (
Mia Farrow). The review in
Time Out described the character's trajectory: "Marion gets to thinking, and is appalled to realise that so many assumptions about her own life and marriage are largely unfounded: in her desire for a controlled existence, she has evaded the emotional truth about relationships with her best friend (
Sandy Dennis), brother (
Harris Yulin) and husband (
Ian Holm)."
Time Out praised the "marvellous" performances in the film, adding, "Rowlands' perfectly pitched approach to a demanding role is particularly stunning."
Film4 called her performance "sublime", while
Roger Ebert noted that it marked a considerable change in tone from her work with Cassavetes, thus showing "how good an actress Rowlands has been all along." In 1995, Rowlands appeared as
Julia Roberts's mother in the comedy-drama film
Something to Talk About, and in 1998, she played
Sandra Bullock's mother in the dramatic film
Hope Floats. In 2002, Rowlands appeared in
Mira Nair's
HBO movie
Hysterical Blindness, for which she won her third Emmy. In 2004, she starred as the older version of
Rachel McAdams's character in the romantic drama film
The Notebook alongside
James Garner as her husband, which was directed by her son
Nick Cassavetes. The same year, she won her first
Daytime Emmy for her role as Mrs. Evelyn Ritchie in the made-for-TV movie
The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie. In 2005, she appeared opposite
Kate Hudson,
Peter Sarsgaard, and
John Hurt in the
gothic thriller
The Skeleton Key. The next year she appeared as Mrs. Hellman in an episode from the
third season of
Numb3rs. She played a Nazi survivor whose whole family was killed. The family owned a painting that the
Nazis confiscated. Later on the painting reappeared. The new owner lent the painting to an art gallery in Los Angeles but while on display it was stolen.
FBI agent Don Eppes, played by
Rob Morrow, tries to figure out what really happened. Rowlands received positive reviews for this role. She has been a spokesperson for people who were persecuted by the Nazis. In 2007, she played a supporting role opposite
Parker Posey and
Melvil Poupaud in
Broken English, an independent American feature written and directed by her daughter
Zoe Cassavetes. In 2009, she appeared on an episode of
Monk ("Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door"). On March 2, 2010, she appeared on an episode of
NCIS as lead character
Leroy Jethro Gibbs's former mother-in-law, who is embroiled in a murder investigation. In 2014, she starred in the film adaptation of
Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks. In 2015, she described herself as generally retired from acting. == Personal life ==