[2] She first arrived in the United States in 1947, when she was sent to live with her aunt and uncle in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., where she attended and graduated from Kirkwood High School[3] as Ziva Blackman.

Shapir made her debut in American cinema when Universal loaned her out to Bel-Air Productions for a starring role in the horror feature Pharaoh's Curse (1957), released by United Artists.

Her final credit as Ziva Shapir was a minor role in The Tattered Dress (1957), starring Jeff Chandler and Jeanne Crain.

In 1957, Shapir changed her stage name to Ziva Rodann[8] and was given a supporting role in Samuel Fuller's Forty Guns, starring Barbara Stanwyck.

She followed this with uncredited performances as a gypsy singer in Yul Brynner's The Brothers Karamazov and an entertainer in Elvis Presley's King Creole (both released in 1958).

One of her first notable roles was as Kirk Douglas' Native American wife in the Hal B. Wallis production Last Train from Gun Hill (1958).

She portrayed Naomi's daughter-in-law Orpah in the 20th Century Fox biblical epic The Story of Ruth (1960),[4] which stars another Israeli actress, Elana Eden.