Biography for
Eva Marie Saint More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

4 July 1924, Newark, New Jersey, USA

Nickname

The Helen Hayes of Television

Height

5' 4" (1.63 m)

Mini Biography

She played one of most famous female leads in movie history, in an Academy Award-winning performance opposite Marlon Brando in Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront (1954). Eva Marie Saint certainly brought "real acting" in a time when melodrama still ran rampant in the industry. Who can forget her memorable argument scene with Brando when she says, "I didn't say I don't love you, I said I want you to get out."

Eva Marie gave a strong impression in "Waterfront," but to most people, she is best known for playing Eve Kendell, the sultry spy in Alfred Hitchcock's classic lightweight thriller North by Northwest (1959), where she starred opposite Cary Grant. Although her appearances on the big screen have come few and far between, she manages to deliver strongly in every performance. Her most notable films over the years include A Hatful of Rain (1957) (for which she received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations), the period piece Raintree County (1957), the war epics Exodus (1960) and 36 Hours (1965), the sports drama Grand Prix (1966), the family film Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), and the action adventure Superman Returns (2006).

Her television work includes playing Cybill Shepherd's mother on the hit series "Moonlighting" (1985) and her Emmy-winning performance in the miniseries People Like Us (1990) (TV). She has performed with highly esteemed actors such as Paul Newman, Karl Malden, Angela Lansbury, Bob Hope, Montgomery Clift, Martin Landau, Warren Beatty, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, James Garner, Cicely Tyson, George Segal, James Mason, Sal Mineo, Jessica Lange, Kim Basinger, Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey.

Despite appearing in less than 20 feature films in her 60-year career, she has earned the title "living legend" as well as having impressive longevity in the movie business. Now in her mid-80s, Eva Marie Saint is still going strong with her work. She takes the fact that she's part of film history in her stride.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Brian Michael Tracy

Spouse

Jeffrey Hayden

(28 October 1951 - present) 2 children

Trivia

Has campaigned to ban the usage of cell phones by motorists.

Has 3 grandchildren.

Lives in Santa Monica, California.

Mother of Laurette Hayden

Performed in a musical version of "Our Town" as Emily in a 1955 TV production opposite Paul Newman (his only singing role) as George and Frank Sinatra as the Stage Manager.

Her first child, Darrell, was born April 1st, 1955, two days after she won the Oscar for On the Waterfront (1954).

Although the part of Edie Doyle properly is a lead, producer Sam Spiegel listed Eva Marie Saint as a Supporting Actress in the hopes of getting her a nomination. The ploy worked, and she won the Oscar.

Won the part of Edie Doyle in On the Waterfront (1954) over Elizabeth Montgomery. Director Elia Kazan, in his autobiography "A Life," says that the choice of an actress to play the part was narrowed down to Elizabeth Montgomery and Saint. Although Montgomery was fine in her screen test, there was an air of finishing school about her. Kazan thought this genteel quality would not be becoming for Edie, who was raised on the waterfront in Hoboken, NJ. He gave the part to Saint, and she went on to win cinematic immortality, and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, in the part.

In 1987, the Eva Marie Saint Theater was dedicated on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Saint is a 1946 graduate of BGSU.

Member of Delta Gamma sorority.

At the beginning of her career she turned down a role in Quo Vadis.

Considered for the female leads in Friendly Persuasion, Somebody Up There Likes Me, The Eddy Duchin Story, Cimarron, Psycho, Marnie, Torn Curtain, Will Penny and The Thomas Crown Affair.

Personal Quotes

On Alfred Hitchcock: "Hitchcock said, 'I don't want you going back to sink-to-sink movies. You do movies where you wash the dishes looking drab in an apron. The audience wants to see their leading ladies dressed up.' He saw me as others didn't."

On today's movie stars: "America is now obsessed by stars in an unhealthy way. They don't actually deserve this kind of attention. They`re only actors - not scientists who are triumphing over cancer or doing some other wonderful thing."

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