| Dawn Wells  AKA Dawn Elberta Wells
Born: 18-Oct-1938
Birthplace: Reno, NV
Died: 30-Dec-2020
Location of death: Los Angeles, CA
Cause of death: Coronavirus
Gender: Female
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Actor Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island Dawn Wells was Miss Nevada in 1959, competed in the Miss America Pageant in 1960, and got her BA in Theater the same year. She appeared on several television series, including 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye, before setting sail for Gilligan's Island in 1964. For three years and in endless reruns ever since, she has been stranded on that desert isle as Mary Ann Summers, the sweet foil to Tina Louise's Marilyn-like Ginger. Following Gilligan's Island, she had occasional film and television roles, served as an "assistant" on High Rollers with Alex Trebek for seven years, and was one of the numerous has-beens to find a port on The Love Boat. She can also drop back into the character of Mary Ann at the drop of a hat, and has made a career out of doing so on reunion shows and at various events, as well as on ALF, Baywatch, and Herman's Head.
Wells has opened a clothing business for elderlies, Wishing Wells, offering "special clothes for special people". She got the idea after helping care for her elderly grandmother, using her knowledge of quick costume changes to design clothing that went on and off easily. She sells the clothing on her website, along with Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook, a book with recipes from the show's cast and bits of Gilligan trivia. On her ranch, she runs the Dawn Wells' Film Actors Boot Camp, a week-long seminar for making the transition into professional acting.
In 1998, Wells briefly stopped answering calls when Bob Denver, the actor who played Gilligan, was arrested after receiving a marijuana delivery. Numerous reports suggested that Wells had sent the package, as his long-time "supplier", but she was not charged. In 2007, she was pulled over for erratic driving, and marijuana was found in the car. She pled guilty to reckless driving.
Father: (real estate developer)
Mother: (homemaker)
Husband: (m. 1960, div. 1967)
University: AA, Stephens College, Columbia, MO (1956)
University: BA Theater, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (1960)
Alpha Chi Omega Sorority
Driving While Intoxicated Teton County, Idaho (18-Oct-2007), charge dropped
Drug Possession: Marijuana charge dropped
Drug Paraphernalia Possession charge dropped
Reckless Driving Teton County, Idaho (18-Oct-2007), pled guilty (2008)
Beauty Contest Miss Nevada (1959)
Risk Factors: Marijuana
TELEVISION
Gilligan's Island Mary Ann (1964-66)
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
This Is Our Time (Mar-2013)
Super Sucker (24-Feb-2002)
Lover's Knot (12-Jul-1996)
High School USA (16-Oct-1983)
The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (15-May-1981)
The Castaways on Gilligan's Island (3-May-1979)
Rescue from Gilligan's Island (14-Oct-1978)
Return to Boggy Creek (1977)
The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) · Helen Reed
Winterhawk (5-Nov-1975)
The New Interns (1-Jun-1964)
Official Website:
http://www.dawnwells.com/
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