A life in grace, grit, and quiet defiance

Eva Marie Saint, Hollywood's graceful enigma, is no more

WASHINGTON:

She was the graceful blonde who delivered two of the most notable film performances of the 1950s - first as the virtuous Edie Doyle in 'On the Waterfront' with Marlon Brando, then as the seductive spy Eve Kendall in 'North by Northwest' opposite Cary Grant. But Eva Marie Saint's story began long before Hollywood came calling, and it continued long after the cameras stopped rolling.

Born on July 4, 1924, in New Jersey, Saint was a product of the famed Actors Studio, Lee Strasberg's "method acting" school in New York. There, she honed the craft that would carry her through a career spanning more than six decades - and a life defined as much by the roles she turned down as the ones she accepted.

Saint's early career was spent in live television productions during the formative years of the medium - a proving ground that demanded precision, nerve, and the ability to perform without a second take. It was during this period that she appeared in a 1953 production of the play 'The Trip to Bountiful' alongside the great silent film actress Lillian Gish, whom Saint would later call her mentor.

That production brought her to the attention of director Elia Kazan, who picked Saint for 'On the Waterfront' over Elizabeth Montgomery. It was a decision that would change the course of her career.

The uncompromising 1954 drama depicts the struggles of dockworkers on New York's rough waterfront. Brando played former boxer Terry Malloy, who runs afoul of a corrupt union but defies the odds to become a hero with the help of Saint's innocent but strong-willed Catholic girl Edie, who sees more good in him than he sees in himself. Saint was 30 at the time but was playing a schoolgirl.

'On the Waterfront' won eight Academy Awards, including best picture, with Kazan named best director, Brando best actor and Saint best supporting actress - an Oscar in her film debut.

Saint was pregnant when she accepted her Oscar in March 1955. She gingerly walked to the stage, kissed the golden statuette and excitedly told the audience, "I may have the baby right here!" Two days after the ceremony, she gave birth to her first child, Darrell Hayden.

If 'On the Waterfront' made her a star, 'North by Northwest' made her an icon. The 1959 Hitchcock thriller was a suspenseful espionage tale of mistaken identity, with Saint portraying a seductive spy opposite Grant's advertising man Roger Thornhill. Famous sequences include a crop-dusting plane pursuing Grant and a frantic chase involving Grant and Saint climbing the colossal US presidential faces carved into Mount Rushmore.

Hitchcock guided Grant and Saint through witty, suggestive dialogue that skirted the edge of what studios would allow at the time. 'North by Northwest' - like 'On the Waterfront' often considered one of the greatest films ever made - received three Oscar nominations but won none.

Saint worked with a remarkable roster of directors and stars throughout her career. Otto Preminger hired her for 'Exodus' (1960) with Paul Newman. Vincente Minnelli directed her in 'The Sandpiper' (1965) with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. John Frankenheimer directed her in both 'All Fall Down' (1962) with Warren Beatty and 'Grand Prix' (1966) with James Garner. And Norman Jewison cast her in the Cold War satire 'The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming' (1966), an Oscar best picture nominee.

Family first

In 1951, Saint married veteran TV director Jeffrey Hayden - a marriage that lasted until his death in 2016. They had two children. She starred in about 20 movies but turned down many roles to devote time to her family, a decision that spoke to her priorities in an industry that rarely rewards such choices.

Later in her career, Saint often returned to television work. She won an Emmy Award in 1990 for her performance in the drama 'People Like Us.' She also took movie roles into her 80s, including 'Because of Winn-Dixie' (2005), 'Winter's Tale' (2014) and 'Superman Returns' (2006), a film in which Brando appeared posthumously using 1970s archive footage.

Saint died of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles at the age of 102, a statement from her spokesperson said. She leaves behind a body of work that spans the golden age of television, the height of Hollywood's studio system, and the modern era - a career defined not by volume, but by the quiet, unmistakable power of her presence.