Eva Marie Saint

Eva Marie Saint (born July 4, 1924) is an American retired actress. In a career that spanned nearly 80 years, she won an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for a Golden Globe Award and two British Academy Film Awards. Saint is the oldest living and earliest surviving Academy Award winner,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and one of the last living stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Saint attended Bowling Green State University and began her career as a television and radio actress in the late 1940s. She played the role of Thelma in Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful (1953). She made her film debut in Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront (1954), opposite Marlon Brando. The film won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress along with a BAFTA nomination for Most Promising Newcomer.

From then on, Saint appeared in a variety of roles, including Raintree County (1957), opposite Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor; and Fred Zinnemann's A Hatful of Rain (1957), opposite Don Murray and Anthony Franciosa, for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama; and Eve Kendall in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959), opposite Cary Grant. In the 1960s, Saint appeared in Exodus (1960), alongside Paul Newman; The Sandpiper (1965), which reunited her with Elizabeth Taylor and featured Richard Burton; 36 Hours (1965) with James Garner; The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966), alongside Carl Reiner and Alan Arkin; and John Frankenheimer's Grand Prix (1966), opposite Yves Montand and in her second film with James Garner. Beginning in the 1970s, her film career began to decline and she returned to television in the following decades and into the 2010s, with a few film roles throughout.

Early life

File:Eva Marie Saint in her cheerleader uniform in Bethlehem Central High School, 1942.jpg

Saint in her cheerleader uniform in high school, 1942

Saint was born on July 4, 1924,<ref name="latimes">Template:Cite news</ref> in Newark, New Jersey, to Quaker parents.<ref name="Shindler">Template:Cite news</ref> Her father was John Merle Saint and her mother was Eva Marie (née Rice) Saint. She attended Bethlehem Central High School in Delmar, New York, near Albany, graduating in 1942. She was inducted into the high school's hall of fame in 2006. She studied acting at Bowling Green State University and joined Delta Gamma sorority. During this time she played the lead role in a production of Personal Appearance.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> A theater on Bowling Green's campus is named after her.<ref name=BGSU>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She was an active member in the theater honorary fraternity, Theta Alpha Phi,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and served as record keeper of the student council in 1944.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Career

Early television career

Saint's introduction to television began as an NBC page.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She appeared in the live NBC-TV show Campus Hoopla in 1946–47.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Her performances on this program are recorded on rare kinescope, and audio recordings of these telecasts are preserved in the Library of Congress. She also appeared in Bonnie Maid's Versa-Tile Varieties on NBC in 1949 as one of the original singing "Bonnie Maids" used in the live commercials.<ref name="Shindler"/>

Saint appeared in a 1947 Life special about television,<ref>"Template:Cite news</ref> and also in a 1949 feature Life article about her as a struggling actress earning minimum amounts from early TV while trying to make ends meet in New York City.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the late 1940s, Saint continued to make her living by extensive work in radio and television. In 1953, she won the Drama Critics Award for her Broadway stage role in the Horton Foote play The Trip to Bountiful (1953), in which she co-starred with actresses such as Lillian Gish and Jo Van Fleet.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1955, Saint was nominated for her first Emmy for "Best Actress In A Single Performance" on The Philco Television Playhouse, playing the young mistress of middle-aged E. G. Marshall in Middle of the Night by Paddy Chayefsky. She won another Emmy nomination for the 1955 television musical version of Our Town, adapted from the Thornton Wilder play of the same name. Co-stars were Paul Newman and Frank Sinatra. Her success and acclaim in TV productions were of such a high level that "one slightly hyperbolic primordial TV critic dubbed her 'the Helen Hayes of television.'"<ref name="Shindler"/>

On the Waterfront

File:Eva marie saint marlon brando waterfront 14 (edit).jpg

Saint and Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront, 1954

Saint made her feature film debut in On the Waterfront (1954), starring Marlon Brando and directed by Elia Kazan—a performance for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her performance in the role of Edie Doyle (whose brother's death sets the film's drama in motion), which she won, with competitors including Claire Trevor, Nina Foch, Katy Jurado and Jan Sterling. She also earned her a British Academy of Film and Television Award nomination for "Most Promising Newcomer". In his review for The New York Times, film critic A. H. Weiler wrote, "In casting Eva Marie Saint—a newcomer to movies from TV and Broadway—Mr. Kazan has come up with a pretty and blond artisan who does not have to depend on these attributes. Her parochial school training is no bar to love with the proper stranger. Amid scenes of carnage, she gives tenderness and sensitivity to genuine romance."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film was a major success and launched Saint's film career. She received $7,500 for the role.<ref name=salary>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In a 2000 interview in Premiere magazine, Saint recalled making the film, which has been highly influential, saying, "[Elia] Kazan put me in a room with Marlon Brando. He said 'Brando is the boyfriend of your sister. You're not used to being with a young man. Don't let him in the door under any circumstances.' I don't know what he told Marlon; you'll have to ask him—good luck! [Brando] came in and started teasing me. He put me off balance. And I remained off balance for the whole shoot." She repeated the anecdote in a 2010 interview.<ref name=Independent>Template:Cite news</ref>

Saint appeared alongside Bob Hope in That Certain Feeling (1956) for which she received $50,000.<ref name=salary/> She was then offered $100,000 to star in the Civil War drama Raintree County (1957) with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift.<ref name=salary/> After that, she starred with Don Murray in A Hatful of Rain, the pioneering drug-addiction drama, which although made later than Raintree County was released earlier in 1957. She received a nomination for the "Best Foreign Actress" award from the British Academy of Film and Television for her performance.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

North by Northwest

File:North by Northwest movie trailer screenshot (23).jpg

Cary Grant and Saint in North by Northwest, 1959

Director Alfred Hitchcock surprised many by choosing Saint over dozens of other candidates for the femme fatale role in what was to become a suspense classic North by Northwest (1959) with Cary Grant and James Mason. Written by Ernest Lehman, the film updated and expanded upon the director's early "wrong man" spy adventures of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, including The 39 Steps, Young and Innocent, and Saboteur. North by Northwest became a box-office hit and an influence on spy films for decades.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The film ranks number forty on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Hitchcock worked with Saint to make her voice lower and huskier, and personally chose costumes for her during a shopping trip to Bergdorf Goodman in New York City.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The change in Saint's screen persona, coupled with her adroit performance as a seductive woman of mystery who keeps Cary Grant (and the audience) off balance, was widely heralded. In his review of August 7, 1959, The New York Times critic Abe H. Weiler wrote, "In casting Eva Marie Saint as [Cary Grant's] romantic vis-a-vis, Mr. Hitchcock has plumbed some talents not shown by the actress heretofore. Although she is seemingly a hard, designing type, she also emerges both the sweet heroine and a glamorous charmer."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2000, recalling her experience making the picture with Cary Grant and Hitchcock, Saint said, "[Grant] would say, 'See, Eva Marie, you don't have to cry in a movie to have a good time. Just kick up your heels and have fun.' Hitchcock said, 'I don't want you to do a sink-to-sink movie again, ever. You've done these black-and-white movies like On the Waterfront. It's drab in that tenement house. Women go to the movies, and they've just left the sink at home. They don't want to see you at the sink.' In a 2010 interview she stated: "I said, 'I can't promise you that, Hitch, because I love those dramas.'"<ref name=Independent/>

Mid-career

File:Don Murray - Eva Marie Saint - 1957.jpg

Saint with Don Murray in A Hatful of Rain (1957)

Although North by Northwest might have propelled her to the top ranks of stardom, Saint chose to limit her film work in order to spend time with her husband since 1951, director Jeffrey Hayden, and their two children. In the 1960s, Saint continued to distinguish herself in both high-profile and offbeat pictures. She co-starred with Paul Newman in Exodus (1960), a historical drama about the founding of the state of Israel adapted from the novel of the same name by Leon Uris. It was directed by Otto Preminger. She also co-starred with Warren Beatty, Karl Malden and Angela Lansbury as a tragic beauty in the drama All Fall Down (1962). Based upon a novel by James Leo Herlihy and a screenplay by William Inge, the film was directed by John Frankenheimer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Saint appeared with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the melodrama The Sandpiper for Vincente Minnelli, and with James Garner in the World War II thriller 36 Hours (1965), directed by George Seaton. Saint joined an all-star cast in the comedic satire, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, directed by Norman Jewison, and the international racing drama, Grand Prix (1966) directed by Frankenheimer and presented in Cinerama.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Saint received some of her best reviews for her performance in Loving (1970), co-starring as the wife of George Segal. The film was about a commercial artist's relationship with his wife and other women; it was critically acclaimed but did not have wide viewership.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Because of the mostly second-rate film roles that came her way in the 1970s, Saint returned to television and the stage in the 1980s. She received an Emmy nomination for the 1977 miniseries How The West Was Won and a 1978 Emmy nomination for Taxi!!!.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She was reunited with On the Waterfront co-star Karl Malden in the television film Fatal Vision, this time as the wife of his character, as he investigated the murder of his daughter and granddaughters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She played the mother of Cybill Shepherd in the television series Moonlighting, a role that spanned episodes over three years.<ref name="latimes"/>

Later career

File:Eva Marie Saint & Jennifer Jason Leigh (1981).jpg

Saint with Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Best Little Girl in the World (1981)

Saint returned to the big screen for the first time in over a decade in Nothing in Common (1986), in which she played the mother of Tom Hanks's character; it was directed by Garry Marshall.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Critics applauded her return to features. Saint was soon back on the small screen in numerous projects. After receiving five nominations, she won her first Emmy Award for the 1990 miniseries People Like Us.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She appeared in a number of television productions in the 1990s and was cast as the mother of radio producer, Roz Doyle, in a 1999 episode of the comedy series Frasier.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2000, Saint returned to feature films in I Dreamed of Africa with Kim Basinger.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2005, she co-starred with Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard in Don't Come Knocking.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Also in 2005, she appeared in the family film Because of Winn-Dixie, co-starring AnnaSophia Robb, Jeff Daniels, and Cicely Tyson.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2006, Saint appeared in Superman Returns as Martha Kent, the adoptive mother of Superman, alongside Brandon Routh and a computer-generated performance from her On the Waterfront co-star Marlon Brando.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Saint was presented one of the Golden Boot Awards in 2007 for her contributions to western cinema.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Saint lent her voice to the 2012 Nickelodeon animated series The Legend of Korra, a sequel to the hit TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender, playing the now-elderly Katara, a main character from the original series.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In September 2012, Saint was cast as the adult version of Willa in the film adaptation of the novel Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

At the age of 93, Saint appeared at the 2018 Academy Award ceremony to present the award for Costume Design. She received a standing ovation upon entering the stage.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2021, Saint appeared alongside Marisa Tomei in the podcast play series "The Pack Podcast" as part of the segment "The Bus Ride".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Saint has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for motion pictures at 6624 Hollywood Boulevard, and one for television at 6730 Hollywood Boulevard.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life

File:Eva Marie Saint with husband Jeffrey Hayden (2082307214).jpg

Saint and her husband, Jeffrey Hayden, at the 1990 Emmy Awards

Saint married producer and director Jeffrey Hayden on October 28, 1951. They had two children together: son Darrell Hayden, born April 1, 1955, and daughter Laurette Hayden, born July 19, 1958.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Their first child, Darrell, was born two days after she won an Academy Award for On the Waterfront. She began her acceptance speech with "I may have the baby right here!" <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Saint and Hayden also have four grandchildren and were married for 65 years, until Hayden's death in 2016.<ref name=reporter>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On July 4, 2024, Saint turned 100, which she spent celebrating with four generations of family members in Los Angeles.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>McArdle, Tommy (July 4, 2024). "How Eva Marie Saint Is Celebrating Her 100th Birthday Alongside 'Four Generations of Family' (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved July 4, 2024.</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954	On the Waterfront	Edie Doyle
1956	That Certain Feeling	Dunreath Henry
1957	A Hatful of Rain	Celia Pope
	Raintree County	Nell Gaither
1959	North by Northwest	Eve Kendall
1960	Exodus	Kitty Fremont
1962	All Fall Down	Echo O'Brien
1965	36 Hours	Anna Hedler
	The Sandpiper	Claire Hewitt
1966	The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming	Elspeth Whittaker
	Grand Prix	Louise Frederickson
1968	The Stalking Moon	Sarah Carver
1970	Loving	Selma Wilson
1972	Cancel My Reservation	Sheila Bartlett
1986	Nothing in Common	Lorraine Basner
1996	Mariette in Ecstasy	Mother Saint-Raphael	First shown 2019
2000	I Dreamed of Africa	Franca
2005	Don't Come Knocking	Howard's mother
	Because of Winn-Dixie	Miss Franny
2006	Superman Returns	Martha Kent
2014	Winter's Tale	Adult Willa

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1946	Campus Hoopla	Commercial spokeswoman	TV series
1947	A Christmas Carol	N/A	Television film
1949	Suspense	Francie	Episode: "The Comic Strip Murder"
	Studio One	Edna Baker	Episode: "June Moon"
1950–1952	One Man's Family	Claudia Barbour Roberts	TV series
1950	Prudential Family Playhouse	Edith Cortwright, Mabel	2 episodes
1953	The Trip to Bountiful	Thelma	Television film
	Plymouth Playhouse	Cousin Lizz	Episode: "Jamie"
	Martin Kane, Private Eye	Sheila Dixon	Episode: "Trip to Bermuda"
	Goodyear Television Playhouse	Frances Barclay	Episode: "Wish on the Moon"
1954	Pond's Theater	Tina	Episode: "The Old Maid"
	Template:Sortname	Dorie Wilson, Betty	2 episodes
	GE True Theater	Maudle Applegate	Episode: "The Rider on the Pale Horse"
1955	Producers' Showcase	Miss Blake, Emily Webb	2 episodes
1964	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre	Diane Wescott	Episode: "Her School for Bachelors"
	Carol for Another Christmas	WAVE Lt. Gibson	Television film
1976	The Macahans	Kate Macahan
1977	How the West Was Won	Kate Macahan	4 episodes
1978	Taxi!!!	The Passenger	Television film
	A Christmas to Remember	Emma Larson
1979	When Hell Was in Session	Jane Denton
1980	Template:Sortname	Sarah Morrissey
1981	Template:Sortname	Joanne Powell
	Splendor in the Grass	Mrs. Loomis
1983	Malibu	Mary Wharton
	Jane Doe	Dr. Addie Coleman
	Template:Sortname	Aunt Helena Georgelos	2 episodes
1984	Fatal Vision	Mildred Kassab	Television miniseries
	Love Leads the Way: A True Story	Mrs. Eustes	Television film
1986	Template:Sortname	Beatrice Ayer Patton
	Template:Sortname	Ruth Gardner	Television miniseries
1987	Breaking Home Ties	Emma	Television film
1986–1988	Moonlighting	Virginia Hayes	6 episodes
1988	I'll Be Home for Christmas	Martha Bundy	Television film
1990	Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair	Marilyn Klinghoffer
	People Like Us	Lil Van Degan Altemus
1991	Danielle Steel's 'Palomino'	Caroline Lord
1993	Kiss of a Killer	Mrs. Wilson
1995	My Antonia	Emmaline Burden
1996	After Jimmy	Liz
	Titanic	Hazel Foley	Television miniseries
1997	Time to Say Goodbye?	Ruth Klooster	Television film
1999	Frasier	Joanna Doyle	Episode: "Our Parents, Ourselves"
2000	Papa's Angels	Dori "Grammy" Jenkins	Television film
2003	Open House	Veronica Reynolds
2012–2014	Template:Sortname	Katara	Voice, 6 episodes

Stage credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1953	The Trip to Bountiful	Thelma	Outer Circle Critics Award, Theatre World Award
1955	The Rainmaker	Lizzie Curry
1971	Winesburg, Ohio	Mrs Willard
1972	The Lincoln Mask	Mary Todd
1973	Summer and Smoke	Alma Winemiller
1974	Desire Under the Elms	Abbie Putnam
1976–77	The Fatal Weakness	Mrs. Espenshade
1977	Candida	Candida Morell
1978–79	First Monday in October	Judge Ruth Loomis
1982–83	Duet for One	Stephanie Abrahams
1986	The Country Girl	Georgie Elgin
1994	Death of a Salesman	Linda Loman
2001	Love Letters	Melissa Gardner
2005	Touch The Names

Awards and nominations

Year	Group	Award	Film or series	Result
1955	Academy Award	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	On the Waterfront	Template:Won
	BAFTA Award	Most Promising Newcomer to Film		Template:Nom
	Emmy Award	Best Actress in a Single Performance	The Philco Television Playhouse (Episode: "Middle of the Night")	Template:Nom
1956		Best Actress - Single Performance	Producers' Showcase (Episode: "Our Town")	Template:Nom
1958	BAFTA Award	Best Foreign Actress	A Hatful of Rain	Template:Nom
	Golden Globe Award	Best Actress - Drama		Template:Nom
	Laurel Awards	Top Female Dramatic Performance		3rd Place
1977	Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series	How the West Was Won	Template:Nom
1978		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special	Taxi!!!	Template:Nom
1990		Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special	People Like Us	Template:Won
1999	Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival	Lifetime Achievement Award	check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}	Template:Won
2000	Savannah Film and Video Festival		check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}	Template:Won
2004	San Luis Obispo International Film Festival	King Vidor Memorial Award	check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}	Template:Won
2007	Golden Boot Awards	check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}	check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}	Template:Won
2012	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> || Best Female Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Guest Role || The Legend of Korra (Episodes: "Welcome to Republic City"; "Endgame") || Template:Won
2018	Bowling Green State University<ref name=BGSU/>	Lifetime Achievement Award	check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}	Template:Won

See also

• Lists of American actors
• List of Bowling Green State University alumni
• List of centenarians (actors, filmmakers and entertainers)

External links

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• Template:TCMDb name
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• Idol Chatter: Eva Marie Saint
• On Life Between Brando's Babe and Superman's Mom (Moving Pictures Magazine interview)