The Newshound

Eva Marie Saint, Oscar winner who set the blueprint for the Bond girl, dies aged 102

From the Newshound archive · first published 7 October 2026 · last updated 8 October 2026.

Eva Marie Saint won the best supporting actress Oscar in 1955 for her debut opposite Marlon Brando in 'On the Waterfront', after director Elia Kazan spotted her on Broadway.
Eva Marie Saint won the best supporting actress Oscar in 1955 for her debut opposite Marlon Brando in 'On the Waterfront', after director Elia Kazan spotted her on Broadway.
Eva Marie Saint and Cary Grant in 'North by Northwest'; a 1949 'Life' magazine profile of the then-struggling actress predicted her name would someday become a household word.
Eva Marie Saint and Cary Grant in 'North by Northwest'; a 1949 'Life' magazine profile of the then-struggling actress predicted her name would someday become a household word.

Eva Marie Saint, one of the last surviving stars of Hollywood's golden age, died of natural causes on Tuesday night at her Los Angeles home, surrounded by family. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her very first film role, opposite Marlon Brando in 'On the Waterfront', and went on to star opposite Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock's 'North by Northwest'. Her representative Jeff Sanderson confirmed the death; she was 102.

Saint was heavily pregnant at the 1955 Oscars and quipped from the stage: 'I think I may have the baby right here' — her son Darrell was born two days later.

She shocked Hollywood by refusing studio contracts after her instant stardom, stepping back to raise her family and appearing in just seven films in her first decade.

Saint also won an Emmy, was nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe, and played Superman's mother Martha Kent in the 2006 film 'Superman Returns'.

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