Eva Marie Saint, 'On the Waterfront' Oscar winner, dies at 102

Eva Marie Saint, the Academy Award-winning actress whose portrayal of Edie Doyle in Elia Kazan's 1954 classic “On the Waterfront” launched a screen career spanning seven decades, died Tuesday at her Los Angeles home at the age of 102, her representative Jeff Sanderson said. Sanderson told Anadolu Agency that Saint died of natural causes at her California residence. The death marks the end of a life in performance that began in the golden age of Hollywood and continued into the 21st century.

Breakthrough with Brando

Saint made her feature film debut in Kazan's crime drama playing Edie Doyle, the innocent sister of a murdered dockworker who falls for Terry Malloy, portrayed by Marlon Brando. The performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, while Brando captured his first Oscar for Best Actor for the same production. Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1924, Saint had established herself in radio and television before director Elia Kazan cast her following her Broadway appearance in Horton Foote's “The Trip to Bountiful” in 1953.

Hitchcock and beyond

Five years after her Oscar triumph, Saint starred opposite Cary Grant as Eve Kendall in Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 spy thriller “North by Northwest,” cementing her status as a leading lady of American cinema. Her subsequent film credits included “A Hatful of Rain,” “Exodus,” “Grand Prix” and “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming.” Saint later appeared in “Nothing in Common,” “Superman Returns” and “Winter's Tale,” maintaining an active screen presence well into her eighties while also building an extensive television resume.

Emmy winner and family

Beyond feature films, Saint earned an Emmy Award for her performance in the 1990 miniseries “People Like Us,” adding television honors to her Academy Award. She married television and stage director Jeffrey Hayden in 1951, and the couple remained together for 65 years until his death in 2016. They had two children.