Oscar-winning American actress Eva Marie Saint, who left her mark on Hollywood in the 1950s with roles in films including On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954) and North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959), died on Tuesday at the age of 102, her agent announced.
The actress, whose career across film, television and theatre spanned around 70 years, died “of natural causes, surrounded by her family and loved ones at her home in Los Angeles”, according to the statement.
Saint, remembered for starring opposite Cary Grant in Hitchcock's acclaimed thriller, had already made an impact with her first appearance on the big screen in Kazan's On the Waterfront.
That role, opposite Marlon Brando, earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
A lifelong love of theatre
Saint also distinguished herself on stage, performing from Broadway in New York to Los Angeles and Washington, as well as in many smaller American cities.
Passionate about theatre from an early age, she said she often felt a need to return to the stage.
She once said that when preparing a production, she felt “as if she were pregnant”, explaining that “every theatre role is like a child, it stays with you forever”.
Her television work also attracted acclaim.
After five nominations, Saint won her first Emmy Award in 1990 for the NBC series People Like Us.
From teaching to Hollywood
Born on 4 July 1924 near Newark, New Jersey, to Quaker parents who instilled in her strength and discipline, Saint was initially expected to become a teacher.
Instead, after discovering her passion for theatre, she earned a degree in drama despite discouragement from those around her, including one of her teachers.
She persisted, initially taking small roles in productions broadcast on radio and television before eventually joining the Actors Studio under the guidance of its co-founder, Kazan.
Audiences and critics would ultimately vindicate that decision when she starred alongside Brando in On the Waterfront.
Saint later admitted that she regarded Brando with a mixture of “admiration” and “fear”, saying he gave her the impression that “he knew her better than she knew herself”.
Saint lived near Los Angeles, not far from the two stars bearing her name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one honouring her work in film and the other her television career.
Source: ANA-MPA
