By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) – Eva Marie Saint, the graceful blonde who delivered two of the most notable film performances of the 1950s in “On the Waterfront” with Marlon Brando and “North by Northwest” opposite Cary Grant, has died at the age of 102.
Saint died of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles, a statement from her spokesperson said.
Saint won an Oscar in her film debut for her portrayal of the virtuous Edie Doyle in director Elia Kazan’s gritty 1954 drama “On the Waterfront,” then changed direction as the spy Eve Kendall in director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 thriller “North by Northwest.”
The New Jersey native worked with a procession of big-name directors and stars after honing her craft at the Actors Studio, Lee Strasberg’s famed “method acting” school in New York.
Otto Preminger hired her for “Exodus” (1960) with Paul Newman, while John Frankenheimer directed her in both “All Fall Down” (1962) with Warren Beatty and “Grand Prix” (1966) with James Garner.
Vincente Minnelli directed Saint in “The Sandpiper” (1965) with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, while Norman Jewison cast her in the Cold War satire “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming” (1966), an Oscar best picture nominee.
Saint said her mentor was the great silent film actress Lillian Gish, who appeared with her in a 1953 production of the play “The Trip to Bountiful” that brought her to Kazan’s attention. He picked Saint for “On the Waterfront” over Elizabeth Montgomery.
The uncompromising film 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.
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.
‘AN EMPTY STOMACH’
“North by Northwest” was a suspenseful espionage thriller, with Saint portraying a seductive spy in a tale of mistaken identity involving 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 U.S. 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. One of Saint’s lines – provocatively telling Grant “I never make love on an empty stomach” – was changed to the more benign “I never discuss love on an empty stomach.”
“North by Northwest” – like “On the Waterfront” often considered one of the greatest films ever made – received three Oscar nominations but won none.
Saint was born on July 4, 1924, in New Jersey. Her early career was spent in live television productions in the formative years of the medium. She married veteran TV director Jeffrey Hayden in 1951 – a marriage that lasted until his death in 2016 – and they had two children. She starred in about 20 movies but turned down many roles to devote time to her family.
Later in her career, Saint often returned to TV 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.
(Reporting by Will Dunham; Additional reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Bill Trott and Rosalba O’Brien)
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