Eva Marie Saint, Oscar‑winning actress, dies at 102 in Los Angeles
Eva Marie Saint, the Oscar‑winning actress who starred in "On the Waterfront" and "North by Northwest," died Tuesday at her Los Angeles home at the age of 102, a family representative confirmed.
Her death marks the loss of one of Hollywood’s most enduring figures, whose debut earned an Academy Award and whose career stretched well into her nineties, influencing generations of actors and filmmakers.
Saint’s breakout came in 1954 when she won Best Supporting Actress for playing Marlon Brando’s love interest in Elia Kazan’s "On the Waterfront." A few years later she captured a new audience as the espionage temptress Eve Kendall in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 thriller, famously seen hanging from Mount Rushmore.
Despite early acclaim, Saint kept her filmography modest, appearing in roughly twenty movies over more than fifty years. She turned down high‑profile projects such as "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" and "The Rainmaker," preferring to balance work with family life. Her marriage to director‑producer Jeffrey Hayden in 1951 lasted 65 years until his death in 2016, a partnership she credited for guiding key career choices.
In the 1970s Saint shifted toward television, earning renewed popularity as Cybill Shepherd’s mother on the sitcom "Moonlighting" and later as Tom Hanks’s mother in the comedy "Nothing in Common." She won an Emmy for the 1990 miniseries "People Like Us" and continued acting into the 21st century with roles in "Because of Winn‑Dixie," "Superman Returns" and "Winter’s Tale."
Saint is survived by her two children, Darrell and Laurette, four grandchildren and two great‑grandchildren.
"I think I may have the baby right here," Saint whispered as she accepted her Oscar from Frank Sinatra while pregnant with her first child.
"I had an agent once who wanted me to make many more movies," she said. "I said, ‘I can’t. I can only do one a year, if that. I have children, young children.’ … I said, ‘Well, I guess you won’t be a superstar.’ … ‘Well, I guess not.’ I fired him.
Saint’s measured approach to stardom, combined with her memorable screen moments, left an indelible mark on cinema and television, ensuring her name will remain a touchstone for future storytellers.