TV producer Dana Eden, who co-produced the hit Israeli spy thriller series “Tehran,” was found dead in an Athens hotel room, Greek police told AFP on Monday.
Eden arrived in Athens on February 4 to shoot the fourth season of the Emmy-winning series. (AP)The body of the 52-year-old Israeli national was found in a hotel near Syntagma Square in the center of the Greek capital on Sunday night, the forces said.
“An autopsy has been ordered, surveillance cameras have been reviewed, and everything is pointing to it being a suicide,” a police spokesman said.
Eden arrived in Athens on February 4 to shoot the fourth season of the Emmy-winning series, which airs internationally on Apple TV.
“This is a moment of deep sorrow for family, friends and colleagues,” her company, Donna and Shula Productions, said in a statement.
The agency said rumors suggesting his death was the result of a criminal act or linked to his nationality were “false and baseless”.
“We ask that Dana’s dignity and the privacy of her loved ones be respected,” the statement said.
The first three seasons of “Tehran” were filmed in Athens, focusing on Mossad agents working undercover in the Iranian capital.
Shooting of the fourth season was delayed on October 7, 2023, following the Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent bombing of Gaza.
The show became one of the best-selling Israeli productions internationally and won the 2021 Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series.
– Ex Giant –
In 2023, Eden and co-producer Shula Spiegel told the “Out of the Frame” podcast how they placed a huge bet on “Tehran.”
Eden was drawn to Athens after a family vacation there and decided it would make a good location for Iran’s capital, the pair applied for and won Greek government funding to draw international TV and film productions to the country.
But then the coronavirus pandemic hit, delaying production of the sites — and their funding — for months.
“I mortgaged my house to produce ‘Tehran,'” Eden told the podcast, adding that he and Spiegel were “both crazy,” “irresponsibly optimistic” and taking “insane risks.”
But the bet paid off when the pair signed with Apple TV in what he said was “an unprecedented deal for an Israeli series until then”.
Starring Niv Sultan, the series also features the likes of actors Glenn Close and Hugh Laurie.
Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar posted on social media that Eden is “one of the most prominent and influential producers in the Israeli television industry”.
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