Eva Marie Saint's husband was worried when she was asked to accept Oscar for her first film: 'I may have the baby right here'

Hollywood buffs are mourning the end of an era. Eva Marie Saint, an Oscar-winning Hollywood veteran and one of the last remnants of the Golden Era of Hollywood, passed away at 102. Active for more than seven decades, her ethereal beauty and elegance made her a muse of many legendary directors, such as Alfred Hitchcock and Elie Kazan.

In a chat with the Los Angeles Times, the diva recalled how in 1955, she was pregnant when she received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her debut film On The Waterfront (which saw her opposite Marlon Brando). Jeffrey Hayden her husband was worried about her standing up too fast if she won the award.

The actress joked when she went to collect her award: “I may have the baby right here!”


The actress’s marriage to producer Jeffrey Hayden defies the Hollywood norm of transient relationships and marriages that barely survive the seven-year itch. The couple married in 1951 and the marriage lasted till his death in 2016.

Although they occasionally disagreed during the early stages of their relationship, actors Eli Wallach and his wife, Anne Jackson, apparently saw the potential between Saint and Hayden before they did. The couple would often invite Saint over for dinner, only for her to discover that Hayden had also been invited.

Saint later described Hayden as the most fascinating young man she had ever encountered, admiring his deep knowledge and appreciation of music, theatre and art.

After dating for three years, the couple eventually tied the knot. Saint welcomed the son she was expecting when she received her Oscar, followed by a daughter. Years later, their family expanded further with the arrival of four grandchildren.

With age, time seems to move at an increasingly rapid pace. It is one of life’s bittersweet realities: just as people begin to slow down, the passing years somehow appear to accelerate.

Some of Eva’s notable films include Raintree County (1957) and A Hatful of Rain (1957), for which she gained a Golden Globe nomination as well as a second BAFTA Award.

She also starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s hit ‘North by Northwest’ in 1959, which became a landmark film in the suspense genre.