Eva Marie Saint, Oscar-winning actress of 'On the Waterfront' and 'North by Northwest', dies at 102

Eva Marie Saint, the Academy Award-winning actress known for her roles in "On the Waterfront" and Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest," died on Tuesday at her Los Angeles home, family representative Jeff Sanderson confirmed. Saint was 102.

Born on July 4, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey, she began her career after winning a leading role in a college production and later joining the Actors Studio under Elia Kazanj. Her film debut came opposite Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront" (1954), for which she received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress while pregnant with her first child.

Saint declined several studio contracts in the 1950s, choosing to focus on family life. She later accepted the role of Eve Kendall in "North by Northwest" (1959) after encouragement from her husband, director Jeffrey Hayden. The film solidified her reputation as a versatile performer.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Saint appeared in a limited number of movies, including "Exodus" and "Raintree County," before shifting toward television. She earned renewed visibility as Cybill Shepherd's mother on "Moonlighting" and as Tom Hanks' mother in "Nothing in Common," and won an Emmy for the 1990 miniseries "People Like Us."

In later years Saint continued to act in films such as "Because of Winn-Dixie," "Superman Returns" and "Winter's Tale," and participated in audio projects like "The Bus Ride" (2021). She was married to Hayden for 65 years until his death in 2016.

Saint's career spanned more than six decades, marked by selective role choices and a lasting impact on both classic and contemporary cinema.