Oscar-winning actress Eva Marie Saint dies at 102

Oscar-winning American actress Eva Marie Saint, celebrated for her performances in On the Waterfront and Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, has died at the age of 102.

Saint died of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, surrounded by family members and loved ones, according to a family representative.

Her death brings to a close a career spanning more than seven decades across film, television and theatre.

Oscar success with first major film role

Saint made her feature-film debut opposite Marlon Brando in Elia Kazan’s 1954 drama On the Waterfront.

Her performance as Edie Doyle earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her an Oscar winner with her first major movie role.

She later became one of the defining actresses of Hollywood’s classic era.

Among her most famous performances was the role of Eve Kendall opposite Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 thriller North by Northwest.

The film became one of Hitchcock’s most celebrated works and helped establish Saint as a major Hollywood star.

Seven decades in Hollywood

Saint went on to appear in films including Exodus, All Fall Down, Grand Prix and The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming.

She also maintained a substantial television career and later won an Emmy.

Even in her later years, Saint continued acting, with appearances in productions including Because of Winn-Dixie, Superman Returns and Winter’s Tale.

Saint was married to television director Jeffrey Hayden for more than six decades until his death.

She was regarded as one of the last surviving major stars associated with Hollywood’s mid-20th-century golden era.