Eva Marie Saint, Oscar Winner and Star of 'On the Waterfront' and 'North by Northwest,' Dies at 102
The acclaimed actress, known for her roles opposite Marlon Brando and Cary Grant, died at her Los Angeles home.
Eva Marie Saint, the versatile actress who won an Academy Award for her debut in "On the Waterfront" and captivated audiences in Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest," has died. She was 102.
Saint died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles, confirmed family representative Jeff Sanderson. Her career spanned decades, with her acting work continuing into her 90s.
She made a spectacular film debut in the 1954 classic "On the Waterfront," playing the love interest to Marlon Brando's tormented boxer. Her performance earned her an Oscar, and in a memorable acceptance speech while pregnant with her first child, she famously remarked, "I think I may have the baby right here." Her son, Darrell, was born two days later.
Despite her initial success, Saint maintained a deliberate independence in her career, declining studio contracts and taking time off to focus on her family. She had a daughter, Laurette, in 1958.
Saint appeared in only seven films in her first decade in Hollywood, turning down roles in prominent productions like "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" and "The Rainmaker." Her husband, director Jeffrey Hayden, encouraged her to accept the role of the enigmatic spy in Hitchcock's 1959 thriller "North by Northwest," opposite Cary Grant. Saint described the experience as pivotal, crediting her husband with urging her to carefully consider the script.
![Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in a publicity still for the movie, "North by Northwest."]( "Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in a publicity still for the movie, "North by Northwest."