Elizabeth Eden

Elizabeth Debbie Eden (born August 19, 1946 – September 29, 1987) was an American transgender woman whose husband, John Wojtowicz, attempted a bank robbery, allegedly to pay for her gender-affirming surgery.

The incident was adapted 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.

Biography

Early life Eden was born on August 19, 1946, in Ozone Park, Queens. She was Jewish.

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.

After her death, she was adapted as a character 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.