A beautiful, talented Israeli Jew of Polish-Russian parentage, Elana Eden was already an established theatrical star in her homeland before she became a star in Hollywood. She was one of the five finalists for the title role in Anne Frank'in Hatıra Defteri (1959) until Millie Perkins got the part. When it came time to cast the title character in 20th Century Fox's next production, The Story of Ruth (1960), producer Samuel G. Engel and director Henry Koster were so captivated by Eden's screen test that they chose her over 300 other actresses (of which only 29 were given screen tests) for the part of Ruth. Eden gave a genuine, effectively subtle performance as the biblical heroine, and she will always be remembered as the screen's definitive Ruth.