The Oscar-winning actress was one of the last stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood and was the oldest living Oscar winner.
Hollywood legend and acting royalty Eva Marie Saint has died aged 102.
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Saint, whose acting work lasted well into her 90s, died of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, confirmed a family representative.
Seen as one of the last stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Saint was best known for winning an Oscar for her feature film debut On The Waterfront and for her work on one of Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest films, North By Northwest.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, on 4 July 1924, Saint studied acting at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She started her career in television, making appearances in game shows and advertising segments.
Her film career began in 1954, when she was cast opposite Marlon Brando in Elia Kazan’s celebrated drama On The Waterfront, playing Edie Doyle - whose brother's death sets the film's drama in motion. The film was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and ended up winning eight, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Brando, and Best Supporting Actress for Saint.
A star was born and following her impressive debut, she starred in a musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town (1955) co-starring Paul Newman and Frank Sinatra; Bob Hope’s That Certain Feeling (1956); opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in Raintree County (1957); and in A Hatful of Rain, a pioneering drug-addiction drama which earned Saint further recognition and nominations at the Golden Globes and BAFTA.
Then came the role that would go on to define her career: North By Northwest. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 masterpiece spy thriller saw her play Eve Kendall, the femme fatale, agent undercover opposite James Mason and love interest of Cary Grant.
Even though North By Northwest was a huge hit and propelled her to stardom, Saint decided to limit her film work and spend time with her family. She had married director Jeffrey Hayden in 1951 and had two children.
Still, her film career continued with memorable roles opposite Paul Newman in 1960’s Exodus and with Warren Beatty and Angela Lansbury in 1962’s All Fall Down. Other notable acting credits include John Frankenheimer’s hit racing drama Grand Prix, The Sandpiper, 36 Hours, and the comic satire The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming.
In the 70s and 80s, Saint returned to television and recieved Emmy nominations for the 1977 miniseries How The West Was Won and 1978’s Taxi!!!. She also played the mother of Cybill Shepherd’s character in Moonlighting and the mother of Peri Gilpin’s Roz Doyle in Frasier.
Later in her career, she played Superman’s mother Martha Kent in Superman Returns (2006) and made her final film appearance in 2014’s Winter’s Tale, starring Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe and Will Smith. In 2021, she played Marisa Tomei's aunt in the brief audio play “The Bus Ride”, part of The Pack Podcast.
Saint’s husband Jeffrey Hayden died in 2016. She is survived by her two children, Darrell and Laurette, four grandchildren, Eli, Tyler, Molly, and Stella and two great grandchildren, Arlo and Finley.
RIP Eva Marie Saint 1924 - 2026
