Eva Marie Saint, who won an Oscar for her first film and starred opposite Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, has died aged 102.
She died at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, 6 October, family representative Jeff Sanderson told the Associated Press, whose report was republished by iNFOnews.
Her career brought together two performances that remained closely associated with her name: Edie Doyle in On the Waterfront and Eve Kendall in North by Northwest.
An Oscar for her first film
Saint made her feature film debut in Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront, released in 1954. She played Edie, whose relationship with dockworker Terry Malloy, portrayed by Marlon Brando, forms a central part of the story.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ official record lists Saint as the supporting actress winner at the 1955 ceremony.
The film won eight Oscars from 12 nominations, including best picture, best actor for Brando, and directing for Kazan, according to the Academy’s account of the production.
A different role for Hitchcock
Five years later, Saint appeared in North by Northwest, playing Eve Kendall opposite Grant in Hitchcock’s 1959 thriller.
The role offered a different character from the young woman she had portrayed in On the Waterfront. Eve’s motives and loyalties become part of the uncertainty surrounding Grant’s character as he is pursued across the United States.
In its obituary published on 7 October, the British Film Institute highlighted both performances while describing a career shaped by careful choices and a strong commitment to working with other actors.
Her other films included Raintree County, Exodus and A Hatful of Rain. In the latter, she played a woman struggling to understand her husband’s behavior while he concealed a morphine addiction.
Work beyond her best-known films
Saint also developed a substantial television career. AP reported that she appeared in Moonlighting and won an Emmy for the 1990 miniseries People Like Us.
Later film appearances included Nothing in Common, Because of Winn-Dixie, Superman Returns and Winter’s Tale. She continued performing into her 90s, including an appearance in the 2021 audio play The Bus Ride.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, on 4 July 1924, Saint initially considered becoming a teacher. Acting at Bowling Green State University helped change that direction.
She married television and theatre director Jeffrey Hayden, and they remained married for 65 years until his death in 2016, according to AP.
Her film career began with an Academy Award and continued across generations, leaving performances that remain part of the history of American cinema.
