Eva Marie Saint, the graceful star who delivered two of the most memorable film performances of the 1950s in "On the Waterfront" with Marlon Brando and "North by Northwest" opposite Cary Grant, has died at the age of 102.
Saint died of natural causes on Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles, surrounded by family and loved ones, her representative Jeff Sanderson confirmed.
A legendary debut
Saint won the Academy Award for best supporting actress for her very first film role, playing the virtuous Edie Doyle in director Elia Kazan's gritty 1954 drama "On the Waterfront". The film went on to win eight Academy Awards, including best picture, with Kazan named best director and Brando best actor.
She was only the fourth performer to win the supporting actress Oscar for a screen debut, and she collected the statuette while visibly pregnant. Until her death, she was the oldest living Academy Award winner, having held that title since Olivia de Havilland's death in July 2020.
From Brando to Hitchcock
Five years later, Saint changed direction as the cool double agent Eve Kendall in Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 thriller "North by Northwest", opposite Cary Grant — one of the director's signature thrillers.
The New Jersey native honed her craft at the Actors Studio, Lee Strasberg's famed method acting school in New York. Otto Preminger cast her in "Exodus" (1960) with Paul Newman, John Frankenheimer directed her in "All Fall Down" (1962) and "Grand Prix" (1966), and Vincente Minnelli directed her in "The Sandpiper" (1965) with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Saint said her mentor was the great silent film actress Lillian Gish, who appeared with her in a 1953 production of the play "The Trip to Bountiful" that brought her to Kazan's attention.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, on July 4, 1924, Saint originally aimed to become a teacher before winning a leading role in a college play redirected her toward acting. She built a career spanning seven decades across film, television and stage, winning an Emmy for the 1990 miniseries "People Like Us", playing Martha Kent in "Superman Returns" and Cybill Shepherd's mother on "Moonlighting".
Sources:
Eva Marie Saint, 'North by Northwest' movie star, dies at 102 — Reuters
Eva Marie Saint, Oscar-winning star of 'On the Waterfront,' dies at 102 — USA Today
Saint died of natural causes on Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles, surrounded by family and loved ones, her representative Jeff Sanderson confirmed.
A legendary debut
Saint won the Academy Award for best supporting actress for her very first film role, playing the virtuous Edie Doyle in director Elia Kazan's gritty 1954 drama "On the Waterfront". The film went on to win eight Academy Awards, including best picture, with Kazan named best director and Brando best actor.
She was only the fourth performer to win the supporting actress Oscar for a screen debut, and she collected the statuette while visibly pregnant. Until her death, she was the oldest living Academy Award winner, having held that title since Olivia de Havilland's death in July 2020.
From Brando to Hitchcock
Five years later, Saint changed direction as the cool double agent Eve Kendall in Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 thriller "North by Northwest", opposite Cary Grant — one of the director's signature thrillers.
The New Jersey native honed her craft at the Actors Studio, Lee Strasberg's famed method acting school in New York. Otto Preminger cast her in "Exodus" (1960) with Paul Newman, John Frankenheimer directed her in "All Fall Down" (1962) and "Grand Prix" (1966), and Vincente Minnelli directed her in "The Sandpiper" (1965) with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Saint said her mentor was the great silent film actress Lillian Gish, who appeared with her in a 1953 production of the play "The Trip to Bountiful" that brought her to Kazan's attention.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, on July 4, 1924, Saint originally aimed to become a teacher before winning a leading role in a college play redirected her toward acting. She built a career spanning seven decades across film, television and stage, winning an Emmy for the 1990 miniseries "People Like Us", playing Martha Kent in "Superman Returns" and Cybill Shepherd's mother on "Moonlighting".
Sources:
Eva Marie Saint, 'North by Northwest' movie star, dies at 102 — Reuters
Eva Marie Saint, Oscar-winning star of 'On the Waterfront,' dies at 102 — USA Today
