Eva Marie Saint, 'North by Northwest' and 'On the Waterfront' star, dies at 102

Eva Marie Saint, the acclaimed actor who won an Academy Award for her film debut in "On the Waterfront" and starred opposite Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest," has died at 102.

Saint, whose acting career continued into her 90s, died at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, family representative Jeff Sanderson confirmed.

She made one of Hollywood's most memorable debuts as Edie Doyle, the love interest of Marlon Brando's troubled character Terry Malloy in "On the Waterfront." Her first Academy Awards ceremony was equally memorable.

Pregnant with her first child, Saint accepted the Oscar from Frank Sinatra and joked, "I think I may have the baby right here." Her son, Darrell, was born two days later.

The 1954 film made her an instant star, but Saint soon became known for carefully choosing her roles. She turned down studio contracts and several major film offers, saying she wanted to spend time with her newborn son. Her daughter, Laurette, was born in 1958.

A selective career

During her first 10 years in Hollywood, Saint appeared in only seven films. She turned down roles in "The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit" with Gregory Peck, "Summer and Smoke" with Laurence Harvey and "The Rainmaker" with Burt Lancaster.

Her husband, television and stage director Jeffrey Hayden, encouraged her to accept a role in Hitchcock's "North by Northwest." In the 1959 thriller, Saint played a spy who seduces Grant before falling in love with him.

"I vividly remember him saying, 'Honey, I think you should find a quiet spot. I'll take care of the children, and I want you to really think about this and reread this script,'" she told Vanity Fair in 2014. "He was so right. And that's what husbands are for."

Despite her selective approach, studios continued offering her leading roles. She later appeared in films including "Exodus" with Paul Newman, "Raintree County" with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, and "All Fall Down" with Warren Beatty.

Saint moved increasingly into television during the 1970s. She became popular again in the 1980s as Cybill Shepherd's mother in the hit sitcom "Moonlighting" and as Tom Hanks' mother in the comedy "Nothing in Common."

She won an Emmy in 1990 for the miniseries "People Like Us." Her later film credits included "Because of Winn-Dixie," "Superman Returns", and "Winter's Tale." In 2021, she appeared as Marisa Tomei's aunt in "The Bus Ride," a short audio play from "The Pack Podcast."

Saint was married to Hayden for 65 years until his death in 2016.

That was her real name

Saint was born Eva Marie Saint on 4 July 1924, in Newark, New Jersey. Many people later assumed her name was a stage name because it sounded theatrical.

Her family moved to Delmar, a small town near Albany, New York, where her father worked as a manager for Goodrich Rubber Co. Saint initially wanted to become a third-grade teacher like her mother. However, while studying at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, she auditioned for a play and won the lead role.

After graduating, she returned to live with her parents and looked for acting work in Manhattan. After a year without success, she landed a small radio role as a telephone operator. She soon began working regularly in soap operas and television dramas, including a two-year role as Claudia on "One Man's Family."

Television was expanding rapidly in the early 1950s, and Saint's appearance and acting ability made her popular with casting directors and producers.

Strasberg helped her overcome shyness

A major turning point came when Saint auditioned for director Elia Kazan and was accepted into the Actors Studio, which became influential in shaping a generation of method actors.

She later credited acting coach Lee Strasberg with helping her overcome her shyness.

"Lee Strasberg, when he got to know me a little bit, gave me a scene to do where I had to cry in front of my peers," she told The Santa Barbara Independent in 2009. "I worried about it, I worked on it, I tried to use what I was learning at the studio."

Saint was initially rejected for the only female role in the play "Mister Roberts." However, she was hired as an understudy for Jocelyn Brando, Marlon Brando's sister. She spent six months waiting for an opportunity to perform but never replaced Brando.

She eventually made her Broadway debut in "A Trip to Bountiful," a play she had previously performed on television.

Kazan later invited her to audition for the female lead in "On the Waterfront." During the audition, she improvised a scene with Brando in which she tried to prevent a young man from entering her apartment.

"All I know is that Marlon got in the door and turned on the music. We started dancing. He flicked my skirt. Kazan saw the sparks fly, and that's how I got the part," she told the Los Angeles Times in 2001.