An Israeli of Russian and Polish descent, Elana Eden was already an established theatrical star in her homeland before she found fame in Hollywood. She was one of the five finalists for the title role in Le journal d'Anne Frank (1959) until Millie Perkins got the part. When it came time to cast the title character in 20th Century Fox's next production, L'histoire de Ruth (1960), producer Samuel G. Engel and director Henry Koster were so captivated by Eden's screen test that they chose her to play Ruth over 300 other actresses of which 29 were given special screen tests.
