The two met in the most unlikely of places: on the subway in New York City and eventually married in October 1951.
There's no doubt Eva Marie Saint is a Hollywood legend. The 98-year-old icon has proved her worth in Hollywood for 75 years. In fact, the award-winning actress has appeared in more than 161 productions during her decades-long career.
Not only did she win prestigious awards like the Oscars because of her talent she also had a beautiful, loving relationship with Jeffrey Hayden, who she was married to for 65 years until his death in 2017 at the age of 90. The two met in the most unlikely of places: on the subway in New York City and eventually married in October 1951.
Eva Marie Saint and her husband Jeffrey Hayden with their two year old son Darrell and 🐇 (1957) pic.twitter.com/cG4mVRGoGA
— Andy 📷🎬💿🎨📚 (@__Charbon__) January 18, 2022
Hayden was a renowned director and producer on TV, film, and theatre. Together the couple welcomed two children — Darrell, who worked as a design instructor at a San Francisco university, and Laurette, a marriage and family therapist. They're also grandparents to three grandchildren, reports PEOPLE.
Jeffrey Hayden, TV director and husband of Eva Marie Saint, dies at 90 https://t.co/JW7hpIPhxe pic.twitter.com/5yRsHbB84W
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 3, 2017
Hayden was an important pillar of support for Saint during her acting career. She almost turned down one of her most iconic roles but didn't do so thanks to her husband's intervention. Hitchcock cast the starlet in the iconic film North by Northwest in 1959. He made her hop off her famously long hair for the role of the femme fatale. When she was initially underwhelmed by the script, her husband gave her strong advice. She told Vanity Fair, “I vividly remember him saying, ‘Honey, I think you should find a quiet spot. I’ll take care of the children and I want you to really think about this and reread this script,’” she recalled. “He was so right. And that’s what husbands are for.”
Alfred Hitchcock with Eva Marie Saint on the set of North by Northwest, 1959... pic.twitter.com/rdLVYPf2dD
— Classic Movie Hub (@ClassicMovieHub) August 13, 2022
The actress received rave reviews for her performance and went on to appear in the Oscar-winning films Exodus (1960) and Grand Prix (1966), as well as the Oscar-nominated films The Russians Are Coming (1966) and Superman Returns in 2006. She bagged an Oscar herself for best supporting actress for her work in her debut feature, On the Waterfront (1954)
Her late husband was no stranger to the world of film and TV helmed episodes of such series as The Andy Griffith Show, Leave It to Beaver, Lassie, Batman, Dennis the Menace, Quincy, The Bold Ones, In the Heat of the Night and Magnum, P.I just to name a few, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He even directed his wife and Richard Kiley in the prestigious Omnibus series on CBS.
Eva Marie Saint and her husband, Jeffrey Hayden in Los Angeles, 1957 pic.twitter.com/Qc9ItHSrjf
— What're you giving me with the flying fish (@RomanPBone1) November 25, 2019
References:
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/09/eva-marie-saint-cary-grant
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Michael Buckner
