Born Virginia Cathryn Rowlands on June 19, 1930, in Wisconsin, she had a natural inclination for acting as the daughter of an actress herself. She studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Rowlands embarked on a remarkable acting journey with many leading roles, winning many prestigious awards including four Emmys, two Golden Globes and multiple Academy Award nominations, which also contributed to her considerable earnings over the years.

At the time of her death, Rowlands' estimated net worth was around $10 million, a figure that continued to rise due to royalties and other earnings from her various contract deals throughout her career. She died on Wednesday, August 14, at the age of 94 after battling Alzheimer's disease in Indian Wells, California, just three weeks after Nick Cassavetes publicly revealed her battle with the disease.

Rowlands began her acting journey as a teenager in 1949 through theater, where she eventually moved to Broadway before landing her first leading role in the play Middle of the Night in 1956. During this time, she also ventured into television alongside Paul Steward in Top Secret while making her film debut in The High Cost of Loving in 1958; However, it was the 1960s that marked a turning point in her career.

Between 1963 and 1984, she collaborated on ten films with her husband, John Cassavetes, until his death in 1989. During this time, she received her first Emmy Award for her portrayal of former First Lady Betty Ford in The Betty Ford Story in 1987. In her later years, she played an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease in The Notebook (2004), directed by her son, and was praised for her realistic portrayal of the character. She then took on smaller roles until her retirement from acting in 2014.