Eva Marie Saint, Oscar winner for On the Waterfront, dies aged 102

Eva Marie Saint, the Oscar-winning actor of "On the Waterfront" and "North by Northwest", died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 102.

Variety reported her death on 6 October 2026. The report said she died at home in Los Angeles. No other details about the circumstances were disclosed in that account.

Saint won the Academy Award for best supporting actress for "On the Waterfront" in 1955. The Academy Awards are the American film industry's annual honours, voted on by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The supporting actress prize goes to an actor in a secondary role in a feature film.

That 1955 win came early in her screen career. More than 70 years passed between that night and her death in 2026. Few winners hold an Oscar for so long.

She starred in "North by Northwest" as well as "On the Waterfront". Both are feature films from Hollywood's mid-century period. Both titles were cited in obituary reporting as key screen credits, and they stayed attached to her name throughout her life.

At the time of her death, Saint was the oldest living Oscar winner. That means that among all living recipients of a competitive Academy Award, none was older. It is a title that passes with age and loss, and it often draws attention because it links the present to an earlier era of filmmaking.

Her birthday was 4 July, according to the Associated Press. She turned 102 in July 2026, about three months before her death in October. The date is Independence Day in the United States, and it often placed her name in early-July birthday roundups each summer. A lifespan of 102 years stretches from the late 1920s to the streaming age.

What makes this stand out is the sheer span. A win in 1955. A death in 2026. In between, generations of audiences arrived. For fans, this means the credits will now read differently.

Saint's passing closes a direct link to two 1950s feature films. The facts are simple. She died at home in Los Angeles. She was 102. She won in 1955. The record lists two noted films, one Academy Award, and a life that reached beyond a century.