Eva Marie Saint, Beloved Star Of ‘North By Northwest,’ Dies At 102

• Eva Marie Saint has died at the age of 102.
• She won an Academy Award for her film debut opposite Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront.
• Saint later starred with Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller North by Northwest.

 

Eva Marie Saint, the Oscar-winning actress remembered for unforgettable roles in On the Waterfront and Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, has died. She was 102 years old.

Saint died of natural causes on October 6 at her home in Los Angeles, surrounded by family and loved ones, her publicist Jeff Sanderson confirmed to CBS News. Her death brought to a close a remarkable career that stretched from the early days of live television through some of Hollywood’s most celebrated films.

Eva Marie Saint Won An Oscar For Her First Movie

Born July 4, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey, Saint originally planned to become a teacher before discovering acting while attending Bowling Green State University. She later moved to New York and studied at the Actors Studio under Lee Strasberg while building a career in theater and live television.

Her movie debut became the kind most actors could only dream of. Saint played Edie Doyle opposite Marlon Brando’s Terry Malloy in Elia Kazan’s 1954 drama On the Waterfront. The performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her one of the rare performers to win an Oscar for a film debut. The movie itself won eight Academy Awards.

‘North By Northwest’ Made Her A Hitchcock Icon

Five years later, Saint took on another defining role as the mysterious Eve Kendall opposite Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 thriller North by Northwest. Hitchcock encouraged Saint to shed the innocent image that had followed her earlier career, resulting in one of her most glamorous and enduring performances. She went on to appear in films including Exodus, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, Grand Prix and Nothing in Common.

Saint also maintained a long television career, earning five Emmy nominations and winning for the 1990 television movie People Like Us. Later generations saw her as Martha Kent in Superman Returns and in the 2014 film Winter’s Tale. Despite decades in Hollywood, Saint was selective about her roles and often prioritized her family over maintaining a constant screen presence. She was married to director Jeffrey Hayden for 65 years until his death in 2016, and the couple had two children.