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Hollywood Loses a Golden Age Icon: Eva Marie Saint, Star of 'On the Waterfront' and 'North by Northwest,' Dies at 102
The Oscar-winning actress who went toe-to-toe with Marlon Brando and Cary Grant in two of Hollywood's most celebrated films has died, closing out one of the longest careers in American cinema.
Eva Marie Saint, the luminous actress whose first-ever film performance won her an Academy Award and whose career went on to span more than seven decades, has died at 102, her family confirmed Tuesday.
Saint died of natural causes, according to multiple outlets, including LAist's obituary. Born on the Fourth of July in 1924 in Newark, New Jersey, she had quietly become one of the last surviving stars of Hollywood's golden age.
Her debut could hardly have been more dramatic. Cast as Edie Doyle opposite Marlon Brando's tormented longshoreman in 1954's On the Waterfront, Saint won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role — on the same night Brando took home Best Actor. She attended the ceremony nine months pregnant with her first child, a detail that became part of Hollywood lore.
A Hitchcock Icon
Five years later, Alfred Hitchcock cast her as the double-crossing Eve Kendall opposite Cary Grant in North by Northwest (1959), one of the director's most enduring thrillers and a role that cemented her reputation for cool, intelligent glamour opposite Hollywood's biggest leading men.
SHE WAS ONE OF THE LAST LINKS TO A HOLLYWOOD THAT NO LONGER EXISTS.
Saint didn't retreat from the screen as the studio era faded. She moved into television through the 1970s and found a new generation of fans in the 1980s, playing Cybill Shepherd's mother on the hit sitcom Moonlighting and Tom Hanks' mother in the film comedy Nothing in Common. According to the Santa Barbara Independent, she remained a beloved figure in her community well into her final years, rarely far from the industry that made her famous.
Tributes poured in Tuesday from across the entertainment world, remembering Saint not just for her two signature roles but for a body of work that stretched from the black-and-white dramas of the 1950s into the 21st century, including a recurring role on Grey's Anatomy in her 80s.
No public services have yet been announced. Her family has asked for privacy as they grieve, according to ABC30's report, while studios and film institutions are expected to honor her in the coming weeks with retrospective screenings of her most famous work.