Eva Marie Saint, a renowned actress from Hollywood's golden age, died at 102 in Los Angeles. She became famous for roles in "On the Waterfront" and "North by Northwest," winning an Oscar for her performance as Edie Doyle in the former. In addition to these iconic films, Saint worked with notable directors like Otto Preminger, John Frankenheimer, Vincente Minnelli, and Norman Jewison throughout her career.
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Story summary
Eva Marie Saint, a legendary actress from the golden era of Hollywood, died at 102 years old on Tuesday due to natural causes at her home in Los Angeles. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Saint began her acting career in live television shows in New York and later starred in Broadway plays before making her feature film debut in 1954 with Elia Kazan's "On the Waterfront," where she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress playing Edie Doyle opposite Marlon Brando. Five years later, Saint starred alongside Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller "North by Northwest" as Eve Kendall, further cementing her status in Hollywood history. Over a career spanning more than seven decades, she worked with numerous renowned directors and actors including Otto Preminger, John Frankenheimer, Vincente Minnelli, and Norman Jewison.
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Eva Marie Saint, the graceful blonde who delivered two of the most notable film performances of the 1950s in On the Waterfront with Marlon Brando and North by Northwest opposite Cary Grant, has died at the age of 102.
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who → deliver → 102
Saint died of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles, a statement from her spokesperson said.
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statement → die → spokesperson
Saint won an Oscar in her film debut for her portrayal of the virtuous Edie Doyle in director Elia Kazan’s gritty 1954 drama On the Waterfront, then changed direction as the spy Eve Kendall in director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 thriller North by Northwest.
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Saint → win → Northwest
The New Jersey native worked with a procession of big-name directors and stars after honing her craft at the Actors Studio, Lee Strasberg’s famed “method acting” school in New York.
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native → work → York
Otto Preminger hired her for Exodus (1960) with Paul Newman, while John Frankenheimer directed her in both All Fall Down (1962) with Warren Beatty and Grand Prix (1966) with James Garner.
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Frankenheimer → hire → Garner
Vincente Minnelli directed Saint in The Sandpiper (1965) with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, while Norman Jewison cast her in the Cold War satire The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1966), an Oscar best picture nominee.
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Russians → direct → satire
Saint said her mentor was the great silent film actress Lillian Gish, who appeared with her in a 1953 production of the play The Trip to Bountiful that brought her to Kazan’s attention.
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that → say → attention
He picked Saint for On the Waterfront over Elizabeth Montgomery.
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He → pick → Montgomery
The uncompromising film depicts the struggles of dockworkers on New York’s rough waterfront.
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film → depict → waterfront
Brando played former boxer Terry Malloy, who runs afoul of a corrupt union but defies the odds to
become a hero with the help of Saint’s innocent but strong-willed Catholic girl Edie, who sees more good in him than he sees in himself.
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he → play → himself
Saint was 30 at the time but was playing a schoolgirl.
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Saint → play → schoolgirl
On the Waterfront won eight Academy Awards, including best picture, with Kazan named best director, Brando best actor and Saint best supporting actress.
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Saint → win → picture
Saint was pregnant when she accepted her Oscar in March 1955.
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she → accept → March
She gingerly walked to the stage, kissed the golden statuette and excitedly told the audience, “I may have the baby right here!”
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I → walk → baby
Two days after the ceremony, she gave birth to her first child, Darrell Hayden.
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she → give → child
North by Northwest was a suspenseful espionage thriller, with Saint portraying a seductive spy in a tale of mistaken identity involving Grant’s advertising man Roger Thornhill.
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Saint → portray → man
Famous sequences include a crop-dusting plane pursuing Grant and a frantic chase involving Grant and Saint climbing the colossal US presidential faces carved into Mount Rushmore.
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sequences → include → Rushmore
Hitchcock guided Grant and Saint through witty, suggestive dialogue that skirted the edge of what studios would allow at the time.
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studios → guide → time
One of Saint’s lines – provocatively telling Grant “I never make love on an empty stomach” – was changed to the more benign “I never discuss love on an empty stomach”.
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I → tell → stomach
North by Northwest – like On the Waterfront often considered one of the greatest films ever made – received three Oscar nominations but won none.
Saint was born on July 4, 1924, in New Jersey.
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Saint → consider → Jersey
Her early career was spent in live television productions in the formative years of the medium.
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career → spend → medium
She married veteran TV director Jeffrey
Hayden in 1951 – a marriage that lasted until his death in 2016 – and they had two children.
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they → marry → children
She starred in about 20 movies but turned down many roles to devote time to her family.
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She → star → family
Later in her career, Saint often returned to TV work.
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Saint → return → work
She won an Emmy Award in 1990 for her performance in the drama People Like Us.
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She → win → Us
She also took movie roles into her 80s including Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), Winter’s Tale (2014) and Superman Returns (2006), a film in which Brando appeared posthumously using 1970s archive footage.
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Brando → take → footage
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