Full Name Ernest Aron Name Elizabeth Eden | ||
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Born August 19, 1946 ( 1946-08-19 ) Spouse John Wojtowicz (m. 1971–1987) Similar Chris Sarandon, Sidney Lumet, John Wojtowicz Nationality American Died September 29, 1987 (aged 41) Rochester, New York, U.S. | ||
Elizabeth Debbie Eden (August 19, 1946 - September 29, 1987), born Ernest Aron, was an American trans woman made notorious by her boyfriend John Wojtowicz, who attempted a bank robbery to pay for her sex reassignment surgery. The incident was made into the crime drama film Dog Day Afternoon (1975), directed by Sidney Lumet. The character Leon Shermer, played by Chris Sarandon, is loosely based on Eden.
Contents
Based on a True Story: Dog Day Afternoon
Life
Eden was born on August 19, 1946, in Ozone Park, Queens.
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 wedding ceremony that year. Following a series of suicide attempts, which Wojtowicz attributed to Eden's despondency over her inability to afford a sex-change operation, Eden was admitted to a psychiatric institution.
The following year, on August 22, 1972, Wojtowicz attempted to rob a Chase Manhattan bank branch in Gravesend, Brooklyn. Eden was not aware of the plans. After the failed heist, Wojtowicz was arrested and sentenced to 20 years, although he was released in April 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.
In the movie "Dog Day Afternoon," the character based on Wojtowicz, Sonny, drafts a will to ensure that Leon (representing Eden) receives his life insurance. This arrangement was meant to fund Eden's gender reassignment surgery even if Sonny were to die. In reality, Wojtowicz received $7,500 and an additional 1% of the film's net profits for the rights to his story. He used part of these earnings to finance Eden's surgery.
Eden got the sex-change operation and legally married someone else, then divorced.
Death
Eden died of AIDS-related pneumonia on September 29, 1987, aged 41, at Genesee Hospital in Rochester, New York.
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.