Passing away at her Los Angeles residence on Tuesday at age 102, legendary Eva Marie Saint won an Academy Award and starred in acclaimed classics such as On the Waterfront and North by Northwest. As one of the first breakout talents from early television, Saint leaves behind a cinematic legacy that spanned across stage, screen, and television.
From Early Television Roots to the Academy Awards
- Having secured the 1955 Academy Award for best supporting actress for her work in On the Waterfront, Saint became the oldest living Oscar winner.
- Honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she holds two distinct stars—one dedicated to motion pictures and another for television.
- She appeared as Clark Kent’s adoptive mother in the 2006 movie Superman Returns.
Breaking Through the Golden Age of Television
Born in Newark, N.J., and raised in Delmar, N.Y., Saint initially attended Bowling Green State U. with the intention of becoming a teacher. Her trajectory shifted when she became interested in acting on campus, leading her into radio and early television. She made her TV debut on Camp Hoop La and became a regular on One Man’s Family, later broadening her dramatic range in anthology series like Philco Playhouse, Robert Montgomery Presents, and Studio One.
Her screen presence drew the attention of Elia Kazan. After earning critical acclaim in television adaptations like Paddy Chayevsky’s Middle of the Night and a musical version of Our Town alongside Paul Newman and Frank Sinatra, she starred in the 1953 Horton Foote teleplay The Trip to Bountiful opposite Lillian Gish. That production became the first TV drama to move to Broadway, capturing the attention of director Elia Kazan.
Defying Studio Contracts for Artistic Longevity
Kazan cast Saint opposite Marlon Brando in 1954’s On the Waterfront, a role coveted by many more experienced actresses. Her portrayal of Edie Doyle brought tenderness and sensitivity to the film, earning her an Oscar. Rather than tie herself to a studio contract, Saint returned to the theater in stock productions of The Rainmaker and Desire Under the Elms.
Throughout the late 1950s and 1960s, she starred alongside Bob Hope in That Certain Feeling, headlined A Hatful of Rain and Raintree County, and appeared in Exodus.
The Defining Coolness of Eve Kendall
In 1959, Saint appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s spy thriller North by Northwest. As Eve Kendall, a shadowy secret agent, she proved to be much more than a standard damsel in distress. Easily outsmarting malevolent foes, her persona typically stays a couple of steps ahead of Madison Avenue executive Roger Thornhill, the hapless character played by Grant.
Following her turn with Hitchcock, Saint sustained an eclectic career. She delivered dramatic work in All Fall Down alongside Warren Beatty, played the wife in 1965’s The Sandpiper, and appeared in Norman Jewison’s comedy The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming in 1966.
| Milestone Project | Release Year | Key Collaborators / Cast | Accolade or Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| On the Waterfront | 1954 | Marlon Brando, Elia Kazan | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| North by Northwest | 1959 | Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock | Role as Eve Kendall |
| People Like Us | 1990 | NBC Miniseries | Supporting actress Emmy win |
| Superman Returns | 2006 | – | Played Martha Kent |
A Lifetime of Craft Across Stages and Screens
As she raised her family with her husband, TV director Jeffrey Hayden—who died in 2016—Saint spent most of the next two decades on TV and onstage. She earned praise for her television output, scoring Emmy nominations for projects like How the West Was Won and Taxi. She also had a recurring role on the ABC series Moonlighting as Shepherd’s mother.
Adding to her accolades, she eventually secured an Emmy Award for supporting actress in 1990 due to her performance within the NBC miniseries People Like Us. She continued working into the 2000s, appearing in features such as Because of Winn-Dixie, Don’t Come Knocking, and 2006’s Superman Returns as Martha Kent. Her final bigscreen appearance came in the 2014 Winter’s Tale.
Off-screen, Saint remained committed to industry philanthropy, dedicating service to the Motion Picture and Television Fund and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship Committee. She leaves behind her two children, Laurette and Darrell, alongside four grandchildren named Molly, Eli, Stella, and Tyler, and two great-grandchildren, Finley and Arlo.
