Eva Marie Saint facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eva Marie Saint
Saint in a studio portrait from the early 1950s
Born	(1924-07-04) July 4, 1924 (age 101) Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater	Bowling Green State University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1944–2022
Spouse(s)	Jeffrey Hayden ​ ​ (m. 1951; died 2016)​
Children	2

Eva Marie Saint (born July 4, 1924) is a retired American actress. Her career lasted for nearly 80 years. She is known as one of the last living stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

During her long career, she won an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award and two British Academy Film Awards. As of 2025, Saint is the oldest living person to have won an Academy Award.

She started her career in television and radio in the late 1940s. Her first movie was On the Waterfront (1954), where she starred with Marlon Brando. For this role, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later starred in many famous films, including the spy thriller North by Northwest (1959) with Cary Grant.

Early Life and Education

Saint as a high school cheerleader in 1942.

Eva Marie Saint was born on July 4, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey. Her parents were Eva Marie and John Merle Saint. She grew up in Delmar, New York, and graduated from Bethlehem Central High School in 1942. In high school, she was a cheerleader.

She went on to study acting at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She was very active in the theater department. Today, a theater on the university's campus is named in her honor.

Acting Career

Starting on TV and Stage

Saint began her career in television as an NBC page, a person who helps out at the TV studio. She appeared on some of the earliest live TV shows in the 1940s. She worked hard in both radio and television to make a living.

In 1953, she became famous on the Broadway stage. She starred in a play called The Trip to Bountiful and won an award for her performance. Her success on television and stage made her a well-known actress.

A Star is Born: On the Waterfront

Saint with Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront (1954).

Saint's first movie was On the Waterfront in 1954. She starred opposite the famous actor Marlon Brando. The movie was a huge success and won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

For her role as Edie Doyle, Saint won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This was a major achievement for her very first film. One movie critic praised her for bringing "tenderness and sensitivity" to her role. The film launched her movie career.

Working with Alfred Hitchcock

Cary Grant and Saint in the famous spy movie North by Northwest (1959).

In 1959, the famous director Alfred Hitchcock chose Saint for his spy movie North by Northwest. She starred alongside Cary Grant. Hitchcock wanted to change her image from the serious characters she usually played. He helped pick out glamorous costumes for her and coached her to make her voice sound lower.

The movie was a big hit and is now considered a classic. It is ranked as one of the greatest American movies ever made. Saint's performance as a mysterious and charming spy was praised by critics and audiences.

Later Films and Television

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

After North by Northwest, Saint chose to spend more time with her family. However, she continued to act in many interesting films in the 1960s. She starred with Paul Newman in Exodus (1960), a movie about the founding of Israel. She also appeared in comedies like The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966) and dramas like Grand Prix (1966).

In the 1970s, she began to work more in television. She earned Emmy nominations for the miniseries How The West Was Won and the TV movie Taxi!!!. In 1990, she finally won a Primetime Emmy Award for the miniseries People Like Us.

Recent Work

Saint (left) in the television film The Best Little Girl in the World (1981).

Saint continued to act even as she got older. In 1986, she played Tom Hanks's mother in the movie Nothing in Common. She also appeared in the family film Because of Winn-Dixie (2005).

In 2006, she played Martha Kent, the adoptive mother of Superman, in the movie Superman Returns. From 2012 to 2014, she provided the voice for the character Katara in the animated series The Legend of Korra.

In 2018, at the age of 93, Saint appeared at the 90th Academy Awards to present an award. She received a standing ovation from the audience.

Personal Life

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

In 1951, Saint married director and producer Jeffrey Hayden. They were married for 65 years until his death in 2016. They had two children, a son named Darrell and a daughter named Laurette.

Her son was born just two days after she won her Academy Award in 1955. When she accepted her award, she joked, "I may have the baby right here!"

On July 4, 2024, Saint celebrated her 100th birthday with her family. She has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for her work in movies and one for television.

Selected Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Eva Marie Saint para niños

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