Eva Marie Saint, Oscar-winning ‘On the Waterfront’ and ‘North by Northwest’ star, dead at 102

Eva Marie Saint, the Oscar-and Emmy-winning actress who became one of the defining stars of Hollywood’s Golden Era, has died. She was 102.

Saint died Tuesday of natural causes at her Los Angeles home surrounded by family and loved ones, her representative confirmed to Fox News Digital.

The actress made an extraordinary film debut opposite Marlon Brando in the 1954 classic "On the Waterfront," winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in her performance as Edie Doyle.

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American actress Eva Marie Saint paints from a sketchbook in a garden in the United States, circa 1955. (Archive Photos/Getty Images)

Five years later, Saint then firmly cemented her place in Hollywood's Golden Era history while starring opposite the legendary Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s "North by Northwest," playing mysterious "Hitchcock Blonde" Eve Kendall in the cult-classic 1959 thriller.

Over an incredible career spanning more than seven decades, Saint worked alongside some of Hollywood’s most celebrated leading men, including Montgomery Clift, Henry Fonda, Paul Newman, Gregory Peck, Richard Burton, Warren Beatty, James Garner, George C. Scott, Burt Lancaster and Tom Hanks.

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Cary Grant holds Eva Marie Saint in a scene from the film "North by Northwest," 1959. Grant wears a pale gray Oxford shirt by Brooks Brothers. (FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)

Other notable films featuring the actress included "A Hatful of Rain," "Raintree County," "Exodus," "The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming," "Grand Prix," "Nothing in Common" and, later in her career, "Superman Returns."

Saint was also a regular fixture of television and the stage. She earned five Emmy nominations, winning in 1990 for the miniseries "People Like Us," and appeared on Broadway in "The Trip to Bountiful" before director Elia Kazan cast her in "On the Waterfront."

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Eva Marie Saint at the 90th Academy Awards, which broadcast live on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. (Disney General Entertainment Con)

Born in Newark, New Jersey, and raised in Albany and Delmar, New York, Saint attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio with plans to become a teacher before acting ultimately changed the course of her life.

Saint was married to director Jeffrey Hayden for 65 years until his death in 2016. She is survived by their two children, Darrell and Laurette, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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Saint's death closes a remarkable chapter in the Golden Era of Hollywood history, leaving behind performances alongside some of the biggest and brightest stars and filmmakers of the 20th century.

Jasmine Baehr is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, legal debates surrounding life and family policy, as well as faith and culture.