Eva Marie Saint cause of death: Oscar-winning Hollywood legend dies at 102
The actress who starred opposite Marlon Brando and Cary Grant died at home surrounded by loved ones
Eva Marie Saint, the Oscar-winning actress celebrated for On the Waterfront and North by Northwest , died Tuesday, October 6, at her home in Los Angeles. She was 102. Her publicist, Jeff Sanderson, said she died of natural causes , surrounded by family and loved ones. No more specific medical cause was disclosed in the announcement.
Saint achieved something extraordinary with her first movie: an Academy Award. Her portrayal of Edie Doyle opposite Marlon Brando in Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront earned her the 1955 Oscar for best supporting actress . Five years after the film’s release, she delivered another defining performance as the mysterious Eve Kendall opposite Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest .
Eva Marie Saint’s Oscar night marked the beginning of another lifelong role
When Saint accepted her Oscar, she was pregnant with her first child. “I may have the baby right here!” she told the audience. Her son, Darrell, was born two days later, a remarkable meeting of professional triumph and personal joy that became one of the most memorable stories of her career.
Family remained central to the life she built. Saint married producer and director Jeffrey Hayden in 1951 after meeting him on a New York subway. They raised two children and remained together for 65 years , until his death in 2016. Their partnership also extended to their work, including stage performances of Love Letters .
Born in New Jersey on July 4, 1924, Saint began acting in college before pursuing radio and television work in New York. She trained at the Actors Studio and built a career across drama, thrillers and comedy, with credits including Exodus, The Sandpiper and The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! Her television work brought further recognition, including an Emmy for People Like Us in 1990.
Saint continued reaching new generations through later films such as Because of Winn-Dixie, Superman Returns and Winter’s Tale . Her career connected audiences to some of classic Hollywood’s most enduring performances, while her long marriage and devotion to her children formed an equally lasting part of her story.
