Eva Marie Saint, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her debut in On the Waterfront, passed away at 102.
She also starred in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and earned an Emmy for her performance in the TV miniseries People Like Us. After a prolific early career, Saint stepped away from the spotlight to raise a family, later returning to film with a prominent role in the 2006 blockbuster Superman Returns.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1924, Saint initially intended to become a teacher before training at the Herbert Berghof Studio and the Actors Studio. She remarked in an interview with Turner Classic Movies that she had once told Marlon Brando, ’I felt that he could see right through me.’
Saint’s work spanned theatre, film and television, making her the oldest surviving Oscar winner at her death and one of the last living stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
She was survived by her two children and her late husband, director Jeffrey Hayden, who died in 2016 after 65 years of marriage. Her legacy continues to inspire new generations of performers and audiences who remember her elegant screen presence and enduring talent.
