Elana Eden

Elana Eden
File:Elana Eden publicity photo.jpg Publicity photo, 1960
Born	Elana Lani Cooper (Hebrew: לייני אילנה קופר‎) (1940-05-01) 1 May 1940 Bat Yam, Tel Aviv, Israel
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1957–1966
Notable work	The Story of Ruth (1960)
Spouse(s)	Nissim Aloni (married 1962–1965) Fredric Myrow (married 1969–1999)
Children	3

Elana Eden (Hebrew: אילנה עדן‎; born 1 May 1940) is an Israeli actress of film, television, and theatre, best known for her film debut as the title role in 20th Century Fox's biblical epic The Story of Ruth (1960).

Early life

Eden was born Elana Lani Cooper in Bat Yam, Tel Aviv District, Israel. Her father, Zvi Cooper, was born in Russia and her mother was born in Poland. She has a sister, Tamar, and a brother, Moti. Since her youth, Eden was associated with the stage and therefore became a member of the Habima Theatre Drama School. She made her theatrical debut in the play Lysistrata for which she performed over fifty times in various locations of Israel.

Career

After having served as a machine gunner and volunteer with the Israeli Army, Eden auditioned for the film The Diary of Anne Frank in London in 1957 and became one of the five finalists for the part until Millie Perkins was cast.

File:Elana Eden.JPG

With Thayer David in the theatrical trailer for The Story of Ruth (1960)

When searching for an actress to play the title role in 20th Century Fox's CinemaScope biblical epic The Story of Ruth (1960), producer Samuel G. Engel remembered her previous screen test for The Diary of Anne Frank and Eden arrived in Hollywood on 18 August 1959 to do more screen tests for the part of Ruth. Out of the twenty-nine actresses who were tested, Eden was finally chosen and cast as Ruth. The film crew changed her stage name from "Elana Cooper" to "Elana Eden," because "Cooper did not sound Jewish." For the film she lost ten pounds in three weeks, giving up "bread and butter, sour cream, rich sauces and cakes" for "steak, cottage cheese and fresh fruit." Of her portrayal, Variety wrote: "She gives a performance of dignity, projecting an inner strength through a delicate veneer." Daniel A. Poling, editor of the Christian Herald, thought that Eden's portrayal of Ruth was "worthy of an Oscar." Her performance was also complimented by columnist Hedda Hopper.

After her appearance in The Story of Ruth, Eden appeared in several television series both in the United States and in Israel. In February 1961, she played Shasme Hasmar in the Adventures in Paradise episode "Who Is Sylvia?". She played another role, a young Czech woman named Anna, in The Barbara Stanwyck Show episode "The Hitch-Hiker" (1961). She also appeared in Trunk to Cairo (1966), co-starring Audie Murphy, George Sanders, and Marianne Koch.

Personal life

Eden married Israeli author and playwright Nissim Aloni in 1962, and later divorced him in 1965. She later married American composer Fredric "Fred" Myrow on 6 June 1969. They had three daughters, Rachael, Shira, and Neora.

In 1967 in Modesto, California, Eden was a speaker at the kickoff dinner for the Modesto Jewish Welfare and United Jewish Appeal campaign.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1960	This Is Your Life	Herself	Episode: Mervin LeRoy
	The Story of Ruth	Ruth	Film debut
1961	Adventures in Paradise	Shasme Hasmar	Episode: Who Is Sylvia?
	The Barbara Stanwyck Show	Anna	Episode: The Hitch-Hiker
1966	Trunk to Cairo	Hadassa	Israeli-West German film

External links

• Elana Eden at the Internet Movie Database
• Elana Eden at the TCM Movie Database