American actress Gena Rowlands has died. She is known for films such as woman under the influence and Gloria. Rowlands was 94 years old.

According to American media, she died on Wednesday in Indian Wells, Southern California. Her death was confirmed by her son, director Nick Cassavetes (65 years old).

Cassavetes announced in June that his mother had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for several years.

Rowlands has played roles in theater, television, and on the silver screen. She has appeared in dozens of films since the early 1960s. Many of these were directed by her husband John Cassavetes. She was married to the director from 1954 until his death in 1989. They had three children who also ended up in the film world.

As a couple, Rowlands and Cassavetes were at the forefront of the independent film scene in the United States in the 1970s. Cassavetes is considered a pioneer of cinéma vérité, a documentary-like style. “Together with Rowlands, Cassavetes has succeeded in making independent films with Hollywood influences—not in plot and style, but in acting, with gravitas and dramatic power,” The New Yorker wrote in 2016 of their work.

Rowlands remained active into old age. Some of her most famous later roles were in the romantic drama notebook (2004). In the film, directed by her son Nick, she plays a woman with dementia.

She was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in woman under the influence (1974) and Gloria (1980), but missed out on an Oscar on both occasions. In 2015, the 85-year-old actress received an honorary Oscar in recognition of her entire career.