Why did Gena Rowlands’ children go to court over her $600,000 trust? Details explored

One year after the passing of acclaimed actress Gena Rowlands, best known for her iconic role as Allie in The Notebook, her children are poised to receive a six-figure inheritance from their family trust.

Rowlands passed away in August 2024 at the age of 94, from complications of Alzheimer's disease, surrounded by her family in her California home. Her children from her first marriage to John Cassavetes, Nick, Zoe, and Alexandra, filed a joint petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court to finalize the distribution of approximately $600,000 from The Gena Rowlands Trust. It was established in 1989.

Gena Rowlands made her second husband, Robert Forrest, as the sole primary beneficiary of the retirement account in her trust. Following his death last year, the trust assets could not be immediately distributed among her heirs. This created a legal complication, which led her children to go to court, according to an exclusive report in US Weekly.

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All about Gena Rowlands' marriages and her children

Gena Rowlands was a celebrated actor with a career spanning more than six decades. Her iconic roles include her Oscar-nominated performances as Mabel Longhetti in A Woman Under the Influence and the titular character in Gloria. She is also a four-time Emmy winner and a two-time Golden Globe winner.

She was also recognized for films such as Lonely Are the Brave, Minnie and Moskowitz, Opening Night, Love Streams, Another Woman, The Notebook, and Paris Je T’aime.

Rowlands was married twice in her life. Her first and most noticeable marriage was to actor and filmmaker John Cassavetes. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she shared her husband’s interest in making woman-centric films. She said:

“..he had a particular interest in women. Women in movies, I should say! He was interested in women’s problems and where they are in society and what they have to overcome. He offered me some really wonderful parts.”

Gena Rowlands was married to her first husband from 1954 until his death in 1989. He died from complications of cirrhosis at the age of 59.

They met at the American Academy for Dramatic Arts and married a few months later. Together they collaborated on many projects, with Cassavetes often directing and Rowlands starring in roles crafted specifically for her, which include films such as A Woman Under the Influence, Gloria, Minnie and Moskowitz, and Love Streams.

Cassavetes admired Gena Rowlands not only because she was his wife but also called her “a great actress” in a 1985 interview with The Houston Post. They welcomed three kids – Nick, Alexandra, and Zoe. All three followed their parents’ footsteps with careers in the entertainment industry.

Nick is a director who is known for films such as The Notebook, Alpha Dog, and John Q. He also appeared as an actor in several films, including Face/Off and The Astronaut’s Wife.

Alexandra, the former couple’s second child, made her feature film directorial debut with Kiss of the Damned. She is known for writing and directing several documentaries and films such as New York I Love You. She is a mother to two children Veronica and John.

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Zoe is also a film director and screenwriter known for films like Broken English, Day Out Of Days among others. She is married to Sebastien Chenut a French artist.

Following the death of her first husband, Gena Rowlands married Robert Forrest in 2012. He was a retired businessman and a close friend of Cassavetes and Rowlands. After her marriage, she became a stepmother to Forrest’s children, Debra Hillard and Lynne Raushe, whom he shares with his ex.

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