Alexandra Cassavetes

Last updated

Alexandra Cassavetes
Born
Occupation(s)Actress, director
SpouseRick Ross
Children2
Parent(s) John Cassavetes
Gena Rowlands
Family Nick Cassavetes (brother)
Zoe Cassavetes (sister)
Katherine Cassavetes (paternal grandmother)
Lady Rowlands (maternal grandmother)
Edwin Myrwyn Rowlands (maternal grandfather)

Alexandra "Xan" Cassavetes is an American actress and director. She is the daughter of Greek-American actor-director John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands. [1] She is the granddaughter of actress Katherine Cassavetes. She is the sister of actor-director Nick Cassavetes and actor-screenwriter-director Zoe Cassavetes. [2]

Contents

Cassavetes directed the 2004 documentary Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession , which explores the historic influence of the cable television station Z Channel. The film won acclaim, and screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival.[ citation needed ] In 2012, Cassavetes wrote and directed her first dramatic feature, the vampire tale Kiss of the Damned .

Filmography

Actress
YearTitleRoleNotes
1970 Husbands XanUncredited
1971 Minnie and Moskowitz Young Girl in Ballet TutuUncredited
1974 A Woman Under the Influence Adrienne Jensen
1984 Love Streams Backup Singer
2000DustVivian Short film
2006 Alpha Dog Jonna Kirshner
Writer and director
YearTitleRoleNotes
2000DustWriter, directorShort film
2004 Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession DirectorDocumentary
2008 New York, I Love You WriterSegment: "Allen Hughes"
2012 Kiss of the Damned Writer, director

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blythe Danner</span> American actress (born 1943)

Blythe Katherine Danner is an American actress. Accolades she has received include two Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Izzy Huffstodt on Huff (2004–2006), and a Tony Award for Best Actress for her performance in Butterflies Are Free on Broadway (1969–1972). Danner was twice nominated for the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for portraying Marilyn Truman on Will & Grace, and the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her roles in We Were the Mulvaneys (2002) and Back When We Were Grownups (2004). For the latter, she also received a Golden Globe Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gena Rowlands</span> American actress (born 1930)

Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands is an American retired actress, whose career in film, stage, and television has spanned nearly seven decades. A four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner, she is known for her collaborations with her actor-director husband John Cassavetes in ten films, including A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980), both of which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for Opening Night (1977). She is also known for her performances in Woody Allen's Another Woman (1988), and her son Nick Cassavetes's film, The Notebook (2004). In 2021, Richard Brody of The New Yorker said, “The most important and original movie actor of the past half century-plus is Gena Rowlands.” In November 2015, Rowlands received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of her unique screen performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cassavetes</span> Greek-American filmmaker and actor (1929–1989)

John Nicholas Cassavetes was a Greek-American filmmaker and actor. The son of actress Katherine Cassavetes, he began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often producing and distributing his films with his own money.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nia Vardalos</span> Canadian actress and screenwriter (born 1962)

Antonia Eugenia Vardalos is a Canadian actress and screenwriter. She starred in and wrote the romantic comedy film My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), which garnered her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greta Scacchi</span> Italian-Australian actress (born 1960)

Greta Scacchi, OMRI is an Italian-Australian actress. She is best known for her roles in the films White Mischief (1987), Presumed Innocent (1990), The Player (1992), Emma (1996), and Looking for Alibrandi (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Gazzara</span> American actor (1930–2012)

Biagio Anthony "Ben" Gazzara was an Italian American actor and director of film, stage, and television. He received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Drama Desk Award, in addition to nominations for three Golden Globe Awards and three Tony Awards.

Alexandra Huntingdon Tydings is an American actress, director, writer, producer, and activist, best known for her role as Greek goddess Aphrodite on the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its spin-off, Xena: Warrior Princess.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyra Sedgwick</span> American actress (born 1965)

Kyra Minturn Sedgwick is an American actress, producer, and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regina King</span> American actress and director (born 1971)

Regina Rene King is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and four Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2019, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Cassavetes</span> American actor, director, and screenwriter

Nicholas David Rowland Cassavetes is an American actor, director, and writer. He has directed such films as She's So Lovely (1997), John Q. (2002), The Notebook (2004), Alpha Dog (2006), and My Sister's Keeper (2009). His acting credits include an uncredited role in Husbands (1970)—which was directed by his father, John Cassavetes—as well as roles in the films The Wraith (1986), Face/Off (1997), and Blow (2001).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Q'orianka Kilcher</span> American actress (born 1990)

Q'orianka Waira Qoiana Kilcher is an American actress. Her best known film roles are Pocahontas in Terrence Malick's 2005 film The New World, and Kaʻiulani in Princess Kaiulani (2009). In 2020, she starred in a recurring role on the Paramount Network show Yellowstone.

Katherine Cassavetes was an American actress. She was the mother of actor-director John Cassavetes and mother-in-law of actress Gena Rowlands. Her grandchildren are actor-directors Nick Cassavetes, Zoe Cassavetes, and Alexandra Cassavetes. She appeared in four films, three of which were written and directed by her son, including Minnie and Moskowitz (1971).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Breckenridge</span> American actress (born 1982)

Alexandra Breckenridge is an American actress. She began her career with supporting roles in the teen comedy films Big Fat Liar (2002) and She's the Man (2006). She later played reporter Willa McPherson in the FX series Dirt and had a supporting role in the short-lived series The Ex List. She starred as a young Moira O'Hara in the first season of FX's American Horror Story, and played Kaylee in the third season. She played Jessie Anderson in the AMC series The Walking Dead and Sophie in the NBC series This Is Us. She is also the voice of various characters in the animated comedy series Family Guy. Since 2019, she has starred as Melinda "Mel" Monroe in the Netflix series Virgin River.

<i>Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession</i> 2004 documentary film directed by Alexandra Cassavetes

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession is a 2004 documentary film about Los Angeles pay cable channel Z Channel which was directed by Xan Cassavetes, daughter of Hollywood director and actor John Cassavetes. It was screened out of competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Tempest</i> (1982 film) 1982 film by Paul Mazursky

Tempest is a 1982 American adventure comedy-drama romance film directed by Paul Mazursky. It is a loosely based, modern-day adaptation of the William Shakespeare play The Tempest. The picture features John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Susan Sarandon, Raúl Juliá and Molly Ringwald in her feature film debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikos Papatakis</span>

Nico Papatakis was an Ethiopian-born Greek filmmaker, who lived in France.

Cassavetes is a Greek surname. Notable people with the surname include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoe Cassavetes</span> American actress

Zoe Rowlands Cassavetes is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She is the daughter of filmmaker John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands. She is best known for her 2007 film Broken English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Daddario</span> American actress (born 1986)

Alexandra Anna Daddario is an American actress. She had her breakthrough portraying Annabeth Chase in the Percy Jackson film series (2010–2013). She has since starred as Paige in Hall Pass (2011), Heather Miller in Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013), Blake Gaines in San Andreas (2015), Summer Quinn in Baywatch (2017), and Alexis Butler in We Summon the Darkness (2019). She has also guest starred in television series such as White Collar, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, True Detective, New Girl, and American Horror Story: Hotel. In 2021, she starred in the first season of the HBO series The White Lotus, for which she received critical acclaim and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie in 2022. In 2023 she began playing the lead role of Dr. Rowan Fielding in the AMC series Mayfair Witches based on a series of novels written by author Anne Rice.

Lady Rowlands was an American film actress. Most of her work came in the films of John Cassavetes, who was married to her daughter, the Academy Award-nominated and four-time Emmy Award-winning actress Gena Rowlands.

References

  1. "ALEXANDRA CASSAVETES - Acting in her genes". www.ellines.com. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  2. "Legendary US Filmmaker's Daughter Pays Tribute To 1821 Greek Revolution". December 21, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2022.