Elizabeth Eden

Elizabeth Debbie Eden (born Ernest Aron; August 19, 1946 – September 29, 1987) was an American trans woman whose husband John Wojtowicz attempted a bank robbery allegedly to pay for her gender-affirming surgery. The incident was made into the crime drama film Dog Day Afternoon (1975), directed by Sidney Lumet.[1] The character Leon Shermer, played by Chris Sarandon, is loosely based on Eden.[2]

Elizabeth Eden
Elizabeth Debbie Eden
Born
Ernest Aron

(1946-08-19)August 19, 1946
New York City, U.S.
DiedSeptember 29, 1987(1987-09-29) (aged 41)
Rochester, New York, U.S.

Biography

Early life

Eden was born on August 19, 1946, in Ozone Park, Queens.[1][3] Eden was Jewish.[4]

Relationship with Wojtowicz

In 1971, she and Wojtowicz met at the Feast of San Gennaro in New York City. The two, Elizabeth in a bridal gown and John in military attire, wed in a public ceremony that year.[3] The wedding received widespread attention in local media, even being featured on a segment of Walter Cronkite's news show, CBS Evening News.[4]

Following a series of suicide attempts, which Wojtowicz attributed to Eden's despondency over her inability to afford gender-reassignment surgery, Eden was admitted to a psychiatric institution.[3]

The following year, on August 22, 1972, Wojtowicz attempted to rob a Chase Manhattan bank branch in Gravesend, Brooklyn. He claimed that he attempted the robbery in order to obtain funds so that Eden could have surgery. However, the claim was disputed by some, with Arthur Bell, a respected Village Voice columnist and investigative journalist who knew Wojtowicz, stating that the robbery was due to Wojtowicz's debts to the Mafia.[4] Wojtowicz had also previously expressed opposition to Eden's desire to undergo surgery.[4] Eden was not aware of the plan. Wojtowicz was sentenced to 20 years, but released in 1978. Wojtowicz did two more stretches in prison for parole violations in 1984 and 1986–87. He said he was released in April 1987, and Eden visited him in New York about once a month.[3]

The film Dog Day Afternoon shows Sonny (the Wojtowicz character) making out a will to give Leon (Eden's character) his life insurance so that even if he were killed, "Leon" could pay for the operation. The real-life Wojtowicz was paid $7500, plus 1% of the film's net profits, for the rights to his story, from which he gave Eden enough money to pay for the surgery.[1]

Later life

Following her gender-affirming surgery, Eden legally married someone else, then divorced.[3]

Eden died of AIDS-related pneumonia on September 29, 1987, aged 41, at Genesee Hospital in Rochester, New York.[3]

Legacy

Her personal papers and photographs were donated posthumously to the National Archive of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender History at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center (New York) on June 14, 1990.[5]

After her death she was one of the characters in the Drunk History episode "Love," telling the story of her romance with Wojtowicz and the robbery that followed it; she was portrayed by trans actress Trace Lysette.

References
  1. "Elizabeth Eden, Transsexual Who Figured in Movie". The New York Times. October 1, 1987. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  2. Photos, Lisa (2003). "The Dog and the Last Real Man". Journal of Bisexuality. 3 (2): 43–68. doi:10.1300/J159v03n02_04. S2CID 146591289.
  3. "Ernest Aron Became Elizabeth Eden: AIDS Kills Woman Behind 'Dog Day'". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. September 30, 1987. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  4. Hoad, J. N. (April 2, 2022). "Who Was Elizabeth Eden?". Tribune. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  5. "Liz Eden Papers". Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Center. 1986. Archived from the original on December 17, 2003. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
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