The legendary actress deserves a thread - so here it is!
The Wisconsin-born blond-haired, blue-eyed actress studied theater in Washington, D.C., and New York before nabbing the role of Edward G. Robinson's co-star in the Broadway play Middle of the Night at 25. Within two years, she headed for Hollywood with her husband, the director and "father of independent film" John Cassavetes. Their relationship produced ten movies, two Oscar nominations for her (for A Woman Under the Influence and Gloria), and a trio for him, as well as three children.
I fell in love with Gena when I saw A Woman Under the Influence. She took my breath away with her performance and she was so incredibly luminous on screen
Taken circa 1965
At the 1975 Academy Awards with her husband, John Cassavetes. He was nominated for Best Director and she for Best Actress for A Woman Under the Influence
Circa 1957
Close-up shot from 1968 film Faces
Studio glamour shot in 1955
Newlywed with husband John Cassavetes in 1954
Her performance in A Woman Under the Influence is one of the most painful yet incredible performances I have ever experienced. That film just makes me ache. I also adore her glamorous look in Faces. If I have time I might make some screencaps for this thread, but I'm sure there are some great ones floating around the internet.
Thanks for the thread. Until I saw some of the pictures posted, I didn't realize how beautiful she was. She reminds me of the Italian actresses of the fifties and sixties, but also of Simone Signoret. Like her, she is both luminous and powerful. They just don't make them like that any more, or do they ? Like you, I was absolutely blown away by A woman under the influence (Peter Falk was superb in his role as the hapless husband), and your recommendations for her other films are greatly appreciated.
film- opening night flickr com soulellis photostream.bmpSources: Pic 1 - flickr.com gaboeckel's photostream Pic 2 - 1959 in Vogue - flickr.com myvintagevogue's photostream Pic 3 - Poster for movie "Faces" - montrealmrror.com Pic 4- Gena with a very young Tyne Daley - Movie "Opening Night" 1977 flickr.com soulellis' photostream
Thanks, ruslanarules for the new pictures. Don't you think she also looks like Lauren Bacall in the second picture ? But she seems to have more irony and take herself less seriously as a star then L. Bacall. With a husband like Cassavetes, how could she ? I bet their conversations were nothing but intellectual and current social and political affairs. They certainly took risks in some of their movies, for the era they worked in. She is really someone I would have liked to know.
I actually don't know a lot about her. But the thing that separates her from other thespians who are more highly visible, she has a life. One doesn't hear a lot about her internal life. Subsequently, we, the public, tend to believe her in her roles because you're not identifying with the public persona. That's just a swag (silly wild *** guess) on my part.