Eva Marie Saint

Birthday: 4 July 1924, Newark, New Jersey, USA

Height: 163 cm

Actress and producer Eva Marie Saint was born on July 4, 1924 on Newark, New Jersey. She is known for starring in Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront (1954), for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959). Her film career also includes roles in Raintree County (1957), Exodus (1960), The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966), Grand Prix (1966), Nothing in Common (1986), Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), Superman Returns (2006) and Winter's Tale (2014).Saint made her feature film debut in On the Waterfront (1954), starring Marlon Brando and directed by Elia Kazan - a performance for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film was a major success and launched her movie career. She starred in the pioneering drug-addiction drama A Hatful of Rain (1957) with Don Murray and Anthony Franciosa. She also starred in lavish the Civil War epic Raintree County (1957) with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift.Director Alfred Hitchcock surprised many by choosing Saint over dozens of other candidates for the femme fatale role in what was to become a suspense classic North by Northwest (1959) with Cary Grant and James Mason. Written by Ernest Lehman, the film updated and expanded upon the director's early "wrong man" spy adventures of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, including The 39 Steps (1935), Young and Innocent (1937), and Saboteur (1942). North by Northwest (1959) became a box-office success and an influence on spy films for decades. Show less «

[on Marlon Brando] I did refer to him once as a hummingbird because you just felt his sensitivity - ...Show more »

[on Marlon Brando] I did refer to him once as a hummingbird because you just felt his sensitivity - his sensitivity to life, I guess, and certainly to the other actor and to the material and to the moment at hand. A hummingbird you're in awe of, and you can't really catch it, but every time I see one I wish I could get even closer. And so, Brando, in that sense, is humming with all that sensitivity, and in the beginning in put me off a bit. It felt like he understood me more than I understood myself, knew more about me than I felt I knew myself. And after a while I just relaxed. And I'd come from the Actors Studio; we all had, so I just relaxed and used that. I've never been intimidated by other actors because I'm an actor. I'm not in awe, but I certainly have respect for other wonderful actors. People ask me "Weren't you nervous opposite Marlon Brando?". But no, I was at the Studio, and he was a member and a fine, fine actor. Show less «

[on James Mason] I think he's a fine actor, a hell of an actor. A nice person to be with, hard-worki...Show more »

[on James Mason] I think he's a fine actor, a hell of an actor. A nice person to be with, hard-working and very professional. Show less «

There were six of us [Alfred Hitchcock] blondes, and it's like we were all married to the man at one...Show more »

There were six of us [Alfred Hitchcock] blondes, and it's like we were all married to the man at one time or another. And we all have a different take on him. Each actress was at a different stage of her life; we were different ages, some married, some not. My experience with Hitch was one of utter respect, warmth, friendliness and humor, and North by Northwest (1959) was a glorious time in my life. Show less «

[on Warren Beatty] Remote. There was an intelligence about him that I admired. That [All Fall Down (...Show more »

[on Warren Beatty] Remote. There was an intelligence about him that I admired. That [All Fall Down (1962)] was one of his first films, so he wasn't that relaxed. It was hard to get to know him. Show less «

[on Alfred Hitchcock] Hitchcock said, "I don't want you going back to sink-to-sink movies. You do mo...Show more »

[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. Show less «

[on Bob Hope] Let's talk about a sense of humor! He was just downright fun to work with. He's a work...Show more »

[on Bob Hope] Let's talk about a sense of humor! He was just downright fun to work with. He's a workaholic, which I'm not--I've other interests in my life, but he's only happy when he's performing. He is an American institution. Show less «

[on Montgomery Clift] Very strange, to me. Very shy, really quite unavailable--but very curious. I d...Show more »

[on Montgomery Clift] Very strange, to me. Very shy, really quite unavailable--but very curious. I didn't get to know him at all. He was so painfully shy that it made me shy; however, the shyness didn't exist when we were acting together. Show less «

[on the current crop of movie stars] America is now obsessed by stars in an unhealthy way. They don'...Show more »

[on the current crop of 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. Show less «

[on Cary Grant] Adorable! A dear man and funny. Probably the most elegant man I've ever worked with-...Show more »

[on Cary Grant] Adorable! A dear man and funny. Probably the most elegant man I've ever worked with--or even met. Show less «

Eva Marie Saint

Eva Marie Saint's FILMOGRAPHY

Eva Marie Saint'S roles

Feedback about this page?