Oscar-winning 'North by Northwest' star Eva Marie Saint dies at 102

Oscar-winning actress Eva Marie Saint, best known for On the Waterfront and Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, has died at 102.

Saint died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles, according to reports. She became one of Hollywood’s most recognisable actresses during the 1950s, earning an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role as Edie Doyle in On the Waterfront.

The 1954 film, directed by Elia Kazan and starring Marlon Brando, received 12 Oscar nominations and won eight awards, including best picture, actor, director and supporting actress for Saint.

Saint went on to play Eve Kendall in Hitchcock’s 1959 thriller North by Northwest, opposite Cary Grant. The role became one of her most celebrated performances, with Saint portraying a sophisticated spy caught up in a dangerous international conspiracy.

Beyond her film career, Saint was an early television star who appeared in anthology programmes including Philco Playhouse, Robert Montgomery Presents and Studio One. She also worked extensively on stage and received multiple Emmy nominations before winning a supporting actress Emmy in 1990 for the NBC miniseries People Like Us.

Her later film credits included Nothing in Common, I Dreamed of Africa, Because of Winn-Dixie, Don’t Come Knocking and Superman Returns, in which she played Martha Kent. Her final big-screen appearance came in Winter’s Tale in 2014.

Saint also appeared on television in Moonlighting, playing the mother of Cybill Shepherd’s character, and earned two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to film and television.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Saint studied at Bowling Green State University before pursuing acting. She was married to television director Jeffrey Hayden until his death in 2016. She is survived by her two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.