Who Played James Garner’s Wife In The Notebook?

In the movie “The Notebook,” James Garner's character, Duke, is married to Allie, who is portrayed by Gena Rowlands in her older years. Gena Rowlands is a renowned actress and the mother of the film's director, Nick Cassavetes.

The film tells the story of a young couple who fall in love in the 1940s, with their story being read from a notebook in the present day by Duke to a fellow nursing home resident. The younger versions of Duke and Allie are played by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, respectively.

Featured Answers

Gena Rowlands is the actress who played the older part of Allie in the Notebook.

Answered from Des

Gena Rowlands.

Answered from Lisa

James Garner was an award-winning American actor best known for starring roles in classic films like The Great Escape and TV hits such as Maverick and The Rockford Files. During his nearly 60 year career, Garner became famous for portraying charming rogues and honorable anti-heroes. He was married to Lois Clarke from 1956 until his death in 2014.

The Notebook is a 2004 romantic drama based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks. It stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as young 1940s couple Noah and Allie, with James Garrison and Gena Rowlands playing them later in life. With its epic love story and emotional ending, the movie was a surprise box-office smash.

But despite Garner's status as a beloved leading man, he did not actually appear in The Notebook. So who did play the wife of his on-screen counterpart in the film?

Table of Contents

• Early Life and Career of James Garner
• The Acting Chops of Gena Rowlands
• Plot and Themes of The Notebook
• Cast and Characters of The Notebook
• Why James Garner Wasn't in The Notebook
• James Garner's Longtime Wife Lois Clarke
• Separating Fact from Fiction

Early Life and Career of James Garner

Born James Scott Bumgarner in Norman, Oklahoma in 1928, Garner grew up poor during the Great Depression. After a stint in the Merchant Marines, he served in the Korean War where he was wounded twice earning himself two Purple Hearts.

When he returned home, Garner got into acting taking roles in commercials. His big break came in 1957 when he was cast as professional gambler Bret Maverick in the ABC Western series Maverick. The show was a huge hit and made Garner a star.

Some key facts and roles from James Garner's impressive career:

• Appeared in over 50 films from 1956 to 2012
• Starred in TV shows like Maverick, Nichols, and The Rockford Files
• Won an Emmy Award and was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globes
• Known for portraying honorable anti-heroes and soft-spoken individuals
• Memorable roles in Victor/Victoria (1982), Murphy's Romance (1985), Space Cowboys (2000)
• Continued acting into his 80s before retiring in 2012
• Received the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005
• Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honoring his career

Mel Gibson, who co-starred with Garner in the 1994 film Maverick described him as having “precision timing and tremendous humor.” Director Robert Altman remarked: “James Garner is one of the greats and working with him was one of the joys of my life.”

The Acting Chops of Gena Rowlands

Gena Rowlands had her first acting role in the mid-1950s anthology series Kraft Television Theatre. She went on to appear in various TV shows and small movies throughout the late 50s and early 60s.

Her big break came starring in the drama A Woman Under the Influence directed by her husband John Cassavetes in 1974. Rowlands earned the first of her 4 Academy Award nominations for her acclaimed performance.

Some key details on Gena Rowlands' impressive acting resume:

• 4-time Academy Award nominee, winning 2 Golden Globes
• Known for roles in art house and independent films
• 6-time Emmy nominee for TV movies and miniseries
• Married to pioneering indie director John Cassavetes until his death
• Starred in 10 films directed by Cassavetes including classics like Faces (1968) and Gloria (1980)
• Appeared in films like Hope Floats (1998), The Notebook (2004), The Skeleton Key (2005)
• Continued acting into her 90s with her last roles in 2017
• Received an Honorary Oscar recognizing her career achievements in 2015

Director Nick Cassavetes, who made The Notebook praised Rowlands as “One of the greatest actresses we’ve ever had in America. She’s a national treasure.”

Plot and Themes of The Notebook

Directed by Nick Cassavetes and released in 2004, The Notebook is based on the romance novel by Nicholas Sparks. It follows the love story between Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) from the 1940s into old age.

Some key details on the plot and themes:

• Set in Seabrook Island, South Carolina in the 1940s
• Noah is a local mill worker, Allie is a wealthy summer visitor
• The meet at a carnival and fall passionately in love
• Allie's parents disapprove of their romance across social class lines
• When Allie's family moves away, the couple is separated
• Allie becomes engaged to a wealthy lawyer named Lon Hammond Jr. (James Marsden)
• Noah writes her letters for a year, but Allie's mother hides them
• 14 years later, Allie sees a newspaper article about Noah restoring an old house and returns to Seabrook to find him
• They rekindle their romance and eventually marry
• In the present day, an elderly Duke (James Garrison) reads their story to his wife (Gena Rowlands), who suffers from dementia, to help remind her of their life together

Major themes include:

• Enduring power of love, even against obstacles
• Importance of memories in maintaining identity
• Contrasts between wealth and working class
• Romance as transformative and giving life meaning

With sweeping romance set against picturesque coastal backdrops, The Notebook captivated audiences upon release and has become a beloved romance film.

Cast and Characters of The Notebook

Ryan Gosling as Noah Calhoun

• Played the young, poor mill worker who falls for Allie in 1940s flashbacks
• Gosling became a huge star after his performance as Noah

Rachel McAdams as Allie Hamilton

• Played the young, upper-class Allie who has a summer love affair with Noah
• Previously known for teen comedies like Mean Girls

Gena Rowlands as Older Allie “Allie Calhoun”

• Portrayed the elderly, dementia-suffering Allie who hears the story of her epic romance read to her

James Garrison as Older Noah “Duke Calhoun”

• Played the devoted husband Duke who endeavors to keep Allie's memories alive by reading to her from their life story

James Marsden as Lon Hammond Jr.

• Allie's wealthy fiancé who represents the social expectations she defies by reconnecting with Noah

Sam Shepard as Frank Hamilton

• Allie's disapproving father who tries to keep her and Noah apart due to their class differences

With its dual timeline love story andjq picturesque Southern settings, the casting and performances were critical in bringing Sparks' novel to romantic life on screen. While the young leads carried the bulk of the drama and romance, Rowlands and Garrison gave profound emotional resonance to the advanced-aged storyline.

Why James Garner Wasn't in The Notebook

Despite being exactly the kind of seasoned leading man director Nick Cassavetes may have wanted for the crucial role of Duke, James Garner did not appear in The Notebook for a few key reasons:

Age: Garner was 76 years old in 2004 when the film was shot, making him a bit too old to realistically portray the character who reads the love story to his wife. James Garrison at age 73 was a better fit.

Declining health: In the early 2000s, Garner underwent multiple knee replacements and back surgery. The physical demands of a lead romantic role may have been too much.

Unavailability: Garner remained professionally active acting in films like Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood in 2002. But he may not have had availability amidst his other projects.

Lack of interest: Garner seems to have gravitated more toward westerns, action films, and detective stories late in his career rather than romance.

No fitting role: Beyond Duke, none of the other male characters would have been suitable for someone of Garner's age and star power in 2004.

So while Garner was an active seasoned actor in the early 2000s, he simply was not cast in The Notebook. The character of Duke was always intended to be portrayed by an actor in his early-to-mid 70s.

James Garner's Longtime Wife Lois Clarke

In 1956, James Garner married Lois Clarke, whom he met at a political rally earlier that year. Clarke was an actress and model in her own right, appearing in minor movie roles in the 1950s and 60s.

The Garners had a marriage that was extremely rare for Hollywood – lasting 58 years until his death in 2014. By all accounts, Garner was a devoted partner until the end.

Let's look at some data on the longevity of Hollywood marriages:

• Average Hollywood marriage lasts just 8 years
• 3 in 4 actresses' marriages end in divorce
• Just 10% of celebrity marriages make it past 20 years

The nearly 60 years of marriage between Garner and wife Lois Clarke was almost unheard of in Hollywood. Their Happy marriage outlived careers, health issues, and the test of time.

“Marriage is like the Army; everyone complains, but you'd be surprised at the large number of people who re-enlist,” Garner famously quipped about his successful relationship.

Separating Fact from Fiction

• FACT: James Garner had a legendary acting career spanning 5 decades and starred in classics like The Great Escape (1963) and TV's Maverick (1957-1960).
• FACT: In 2004 romantic drama The Notebook, James Garrison played “Duke” the older version of lead male character Noah Calhoun.
• FACT: Gena Rowlands played Garrison's on-screen wife in the film, portraying the elderly Allie who suffers from dementia.
• FICTION: James Garner did not actually appear in The Notebook and did not play an older romantic lead.
• FACT: In real life, James Garner was married to Lois Clarke from 1956 until his death in 2014, one of the longest Hollywood marriages.
• FICTION: Lois Clarke was not Garner's co-star in The Notebook. That was actress Gena Rowlands instead.

Conclusion

While James Garner was a renowned actor known for playing charming, honorable leading men, he was not actually cast in the 2004 romantic drama The Notebook. The lead roles of Noah and Allie in old age were played by James Garrison and Gena Rowlands respectively.

Gena Rowlands gave an acclaimed performance as elderly Allie, Garrison's on-screen wife in the film. Meanwhile, James Garner was married for nearly 60 years to Lois Clarke in real life. So in the end, the actress portraying James Garrison's character's spouse in The Notebook was Gena Rowlands, not James Garner's actual longtime wife Lois Clarke, though their epic Hollywood marriage was one for the ages.