At a glance
- Eva Marie Saint appeared in the 36th issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly ICONS.
- As she passes away at the age of 102 of natural causes, we revisit this story on her incredible career.
- Considered one of the last surviving stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Eva’s career included an Oscar winning turn in On The Waterfront alongside Alfred Hitchcock classic North by Northwest.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1924, Eva Marie Saint did not make her first feature film until she was 29.
After graduating from Bowling Green State University in 1946, she moved to New York, working as an NBC page, appearing in live commercials and studying at the Actors Studio. By 1950 she was a regular on the soap opera One Man’s Family, followed by roles in the live dramas that dominated early TV.
In 1953, Eva appeared with Lillian Gish in The Trip to Bountiful, first on television and then on Broadway; director Elia Kazan was wowed by the stage production and cast her opposite Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront (1954). Astonishingly, her first film won her the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
Actress to mother
Eva’s Oscar triumph coincided with another life-changing event.
When she accepted the Best Supporting Actress gong, she was nine months pregnant and joked, “I may have the baby right here.” Two days later, her son Darrell was born.
Eva and husband Jeffrey Hayden later had a daughter, Laurette, and she limited her workload while the kids were young. “The family always [come] first,” she said. “I could not make more than one movie a year.” Eva also found ways to take the family with her when shooting abroad.
Grit to glamour
Eva’s two most famous roles could hardly be further apart. In On the Waterfront, she was plainly dressed Edie; five years later, maestro Alfred Hitchcock transformed her into the sleek, sexually assured Eve in North by Northwest (1959).
He supervised her hair, make-up, clothes and jewellery, rejecting MGM’s choices and taking her to fancy New York City department store Bergdorf Goodman to choose replacements.
“He worked with me from the outside in,” recalled the actress. Alfred also encouraged Eva to lower her voice and look Cary Grant in the eye. The result was a striking reinvention and another defining screen role.
Star to stalwart
Eva remained a major screen presence, appearing in Exodus (1960), 36 Hours (1965), The Sandpiper (1965), The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966), Grand Prix (1966) and The Stalking Moon (1968).
As film roles became scarcer in the 1970s, she returned increasingly to television, earning Emmy nominations for How the West Was Won (1977) and the drama Taxi!!! (1978) before winning in 1990 for People Like Us.
Later films included Because of Winn-Dixie and Don’t Come Knocking (both 2005), Superman Returns (2006) and Winter’s Tale (2014).
In July 2026, she turned a venerable 102.
This story appeared in the 36th issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly ICONS. Buy back copies HERE.
