Elana Eden

When searching for an actress to play the title role in 20th Century Fox's CinemaScope biblical-epic The Story of Ruth, producer Samuel G. Engel had remembered her previous screen test for The Diary of Anne Frank and Eden arrived in Hollywood on August 18, 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. Upon receiving the part of Ruth, the film crew changed her stage name from "Elana Cooper" to "Elana Eden", because Cooper did not sound Jewish. Her performance was 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. She also appeared in Trunk to Cairo, co-starring Audie Murphy, George Sanders, and Marianne Koch. Read Less