Los Angeles — Eva Marie Saint, the acclaimed actress whose performances in “On the Waterfront” and “North by Northwest” made her one of Hollywood’s notable stars of the 1950s, has died at age 102.
Saint died of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles, according to a statement from her spokesperson.
She won an Oscar for her film debut as Edie Doyle in Elia Kazan’s 1954 drama “On the Waterfront,” then took on a sharply different role as spy Eve Kendall in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 thriller “North by Northwest.”
A New Jersey native, Saint trained at the Actors Studio, the renowned New York acting school associated with Lee Strasberg, before working with some of Hollywood’s most prominent directors and performers.
Otto Preminger cast her opposite Paul Newman in “Exodus” (1960). John Frankenheimer directed her alongside Warren Beatty in “All Fall Down” (1962) and with James Garner in “Grand Prix” (1966).
Saint also appeared in Vincente Minnelli’s “The Sandpiper” (1965), alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Norman Jewison directed her in the Cold War comedy “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming” (1966), which received an Oscar nomination for best picture.
Saint identified silent-film legend Lillian Gish as her mentor. The two appeared together in a 1953 production of “The Trip to Bountiful,” a performance that helped bring Saint to Kazan’s attention. He ultimately selected her for “On the Waterfront” over Elizabeth Montgomery.
The film follows dockworkers struggling against corruption on New York’s waterfront. Brando played Terry Malloy, a former boxer who becomes entangled with a corrupt union and ultimately finds the courage to challenge it. Saint portrayed Edie, a devout Catholic schoolgirl whose faith in Terry helps him see the possibility of becoming a better man.
Saint was 30 when she made the film, despite playing a schoolgirl.
“On the Waterfront” won eight Academy Awards, including best picture. Kazan won best director, Brando received the best actor award and Saint was named best supporting actress.
Saint was pregnant when she accepted her Oscar in March 1955. She carefully made her way to the stage, kissed the statuette and told the audience, “I may have the baby right here!” Two days later, she gave birth to her first child, Darrell Hayden.
‘AN EMPTY STOMACH’
In “North by Northwest,” Saint played a seductive spy caught in a story of mistaken identity involving Cary Grant’s advertising executive, Roger Thornhill.
The Hitchcock thriller became known for sequences including a crop-dusting plane pursuing Grant and a frantic escape involving Grant and Saint across the massive presidential faces carved into Mount Rushmore.
Hitchcock worked with Grant and Saint on dialogue that was witty and suggestive while remaining within the limits studios imposed at the time. One of Saint’s lines, in which she provocatively told Grant, “I never make love on an empty stomach,” was softened to the less suggestive, “I never discuss love on an empty stomach.”
Like “On the Waterfront,” “North by Northwest” is frequently regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. It earned three Oscar nominations but did not win any.
Saint was born on July 4, 1924, in New Jersey. She began her career in live television productions during the medium’s early years.
She married veteran television director Jeffrey Hayden in 1951, and their marriage continued until his death in 2016. They had two children.
Saint appeared in about 20 movies but declined numerous roles in order to spend more time with her family.
She later returned frequently to television and won an Emmy Award in 1990 for her performance in the drama “People Like Us.”
Saint continued acting in films into her 80s, appearing in “Because of Winn-Dixie” (2005), “Superman Returns” (2006) and “Winter’s Tale” (2014). “Superman Returns” also featured Brando through the posthumous use of archive footage from the 1970s.
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