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Dawn Wells
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Dawn Wells
Wells as Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island in 1964
Born
Dawn Elberta Wells
(1938-10-18) October 18, 1938 (age 80)
Reno, Nevada, U.S.
Occupation
Actress
Years active
1961–present
Spouse(s)
Larry Rosen
(m. 1962; div. 1967)
Website
dawn-wells.com
Dawn Elberta Wells (born October 18, 1938) is an American actress who is best known for her role as Mary Ann Summers on the CBS sitcom Gilligan's Island. She and Tina Louise are the last surviving regular cast members from that series.
Contents
1 Life and career
1.1 Early life
1.2 Career
1.3 Reception
1.4 Personal life
2 Humanitarian work
2.1 Charity
3 Filmography
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Life and career[edit]
Early life[edit]
Wells was born in Reno, Nevada, where she attended Reno High School. She later attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, where she majored in chemistry. She transferred to the University of Washington in Seattle, where she graduated in 1960 with a degree in theater arts and design. She was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority.
In 1959, Wells was crowned Miss Nevada and represented her state in the Miss America 1960 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[1][2]
Career[edit]
In Hollywood, Wells made her debut on ABC's The Roaring 20s and the movie The New Interns and was cast in episodes of such television series as 77 Sunset Strip, The Cheyenne Show, Maverick, and Bonanza, before she took the role of Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island. She reprised her character in the various Gilligan's Island reunion specials, including the reunion cartoon spin-off Gilligan's Planet and three reunion movies: Rescue from Gilligan's Island, The Castaways on Gilligan's Island, and The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island.
She also appeared as a guest star on Wagon Train, Tales of Wells Fargo, 87th Precinct, Surfside 6, Hawaiian Eye, Ripcord, The Everglades, The Detectives, It's a Man's World, Channing, Laramie, Burke's Law, The Invaders, The Wild Wild West, The F.B.I., Vega$, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Matt Houston, ALF, Herman's Head, Three Sisters, Pastor Greg, and Roseanne.
Wells 1975 press release
Wells had small roles in the early 1960s films Palm Springs Weekend and The New Interns, and later starred with Michael Dante in the independent 1975 film Winterhawk, playing a Western settler kidnapped by an Indian chief. Her other films include The Town That Dreaded Sundown, Return to Boggy Creek, Lover's Knot, Soulmates, Forever for Now, and Super Sucker. In fall 2011, she began filming Silent But Deadly (originally titled Hotel Arthritis)[3], a comedy horror film released in 2012.
Following Gilligan's Island, Wells embarked on a theater career, appearing in nearly one hundred theatrical productions as of July 2009. She spent the majority of the 1970s, and 1980s, touring in musical theater productions. She also had a one-woman show at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 1985.
In 1993, Wells published Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook with co-writers Ken Beck and Jim Clark, including a foreword by Bob Denver. She was close to Alan Hale Jr., who played The Skipper in Gilligan's Island, even after the series completed its run, and he contributed a family recipe ("Kansas Chicken and Dumplings") to her cookbook. Hale's character was the inspiration behind such concoctions as Skipper's Coconut Pie, Skipper's Navy Bean Soup, and Skipper's Goodbye Ribeye, and he is depicted as Skipper Jonas Grumby in numerous photographs throughout the book. She said in a 2014 interview with GoErie.com, "Alan could not have been kinder to a young actress. He was a real peach."[4]
In 2005, Wells consigned her original gingham blouse and shorts ensemble for sale from her signature role. Beverly Hills auction house Profiles in History sold it for $20,700.[1] In 2008, she joined Gilligan's Island creator Sherwood Schwartz in Los Angeles for the celebration of Schwartz's entry into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She appeared on the "Celebrity Holiday Bash" episode of Food Network's Chopped, which first aired December 1, 2013.
In 2014, Wells released What Would Mary Ann Do? A Guide to Life, which she co-wrote with Steve Stinson. The book was released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Gilligan's Island.[5]
Gilligan's Island co-star Russell Johnson died on January 16, 2014, and Wells and Tina Louise are the only surviving cast members of the sitcom. In May 2016, Wells was named Marketing Ambassador to MeTV Network.[6]
Reception[edit]
In 2005, TV Guide ranked Wells No. 50 on its "50 Sexiest Stars of All Time" list.[7]
Personal life[edit]
She married Larry Rosen, a talent agent, in 1962. The couple had no children and were divorced in 1967.[8]
In 2018, a Gofundme page was set up to help Wells cope with financial trouble.[9][10]
Humanitarian work[edit]
Wells in 2015
Wells runs a business, Wishing Wells Collections, making clothing for people with limited mobility.[11] She is the founder of the Idaho Film and Television Institute, a not-for-profit (501c3) educational organization with "a vision of education, technical training and economic development in Southeastern Idaho."[12] She organized SpudFest, a regional annual family movie festival,[12] and has been a spokeswoman for Idaho Potatoes.[13]
Charity[edit]
Wells continues to lend her support to the Denver Foundation, a charity chaired by Dreama Denver, widow of Wells' Gilligan’s Island co-star Bob Denver. In November 2009, she appeared at the Denver Foundation's Christmas Wish Celebrity Auction, helping to raise funds for the disabled and disadvantaged in West Virginia.[14]
Filmography[edit]
1961: Wagon Train - "The Captain Dan Brady Story"; - as Mrs Murray
1961: The Everglades ‒ as Piney
1961: The Cheyenne Show ‒ "Lone Patrol"; as Sarah Claypool
1961: Maverick ‒ "The Deadly Image"; as Caprice Rambeau
1961: 77 Sunset Strip ‒ 4 episodes; as Yvonne Martell / Judy Rogers / Nixie Martin / Connie Kenwood
1961-62: Surfside 6 ‒ 2 episodes; as June / Consuelo Hernandez
1962: Hawaiian Eye ‒ 2 episodes; as Carolyn Barnes / Lois Corey
1962: Bonanza ‒ "The Way Station"; as Marty Johnson
1962: It's a Man's World ‒ 2 episodes; as Molly
1963: Palm Springs Weekend; as Girl at Police Station (uncredited)
1963: Ripcord - "Willie"; as Evvie Eden
1963: Laramie ‒ "The Violent Ones"; as Millie
1964: The New Interns
1964: The Joey Bishop Show – "Joey and Roberta Sherwood Play a Benefit"
1964–67: Gilligan's Island (98 episodes)
1967: The Invaders – "Dark Outpost"
1968: The Wild Wild West – "The Night of the Headless Woman"; as Betsy Jeffers
1968: Bonanza ‒ "The Burning Sky"; as Moon Holt
1975: Winterhawk
1976: The Town That Dreaded Sundown
1977: Return to Boggy Creek
1978: Rescue from Gilligan's Island (TV movie)
1979: The Castaways on Gilligan's Island (TV movie)
1981: The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (TV movie)
1982–83: Gilligan's Planet ‒ voices of Mary Ann and Ginger Grant
1983: High School U.S.A. (TV movie)
1983: Family Feud: Gilligan's Island vs. Lost in Space
1983: Family Feud: Gilligan's Island vs. Batman
1987: ALF ‒ "Somewhere Over the Rerun"; as Mary Ann
1988: Fox Late show with Ross Shafer. Cast reunion. As herself
1989: The Princess and the Dwarf
1992: Soulmates as Lucille Perkins
1992: Baywatch - "Now Sit Right Back and You'll Hear a Tale"; as Mary Ann
1994: Space Ghost Coast to Coast ‒ "Gilligan"; as herself
1995: Roseanne (Sherwood Shwartz, a loving tribute) as Darlene
1996: Lover's Knot
2000: The Man Show ‒ episode 206, as herself
2001: Surviving Gilligan's Island as herself (TV movie)
2002: Super Sucker
2004: Forever for Now
2005: Cyber Meltdown
2005: Girlfriends as herself
2010: RuPaul's Drag U ‒ "A Star Is Born Again"; as herself
2012: Hotel Arthritis
2016: The Bold and the Beautiful; one episode
See also[edit]
Biography portal
Nevada portal
Missouri portal
Washington portal
Los Angeles portal
California portal
Idaho portal
Film portal
Television portal
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b Potempa, Phillip. "From the Farm: Leftover turkey perfect for 'Gilligan's Island' casserole". nwi.com. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
Jump up ^ Goldberg, Delen (January 12, 2012). "10 past Nevada pageant winners who have gained notoriety". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Silent But Deadly: Film Review". HollywoodReporter.com. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Kevin Cuneo: Mary Ann's still a sweetheart". GoErie.com - Erie, PA. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
Jump up ^ "The world according to Dawn Wells, a.k.a. 'Gilligan Island's' Mary Ann". Retrieved 17 April 2015.
Jump up ^ "Dawn Wells joins MeTV as 'marketing ambassador'". www.robertfeder.com. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
Jump up ^ TV Guide Book of Lists. Running Press. 2007. p. 202. ISBN 0-7624-3007-9.
Jump up ^ Pilato, Herbie (September 8, 2014). Glamour, Gidgets, and the Girl Next Door: Television's Iconic Women from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 147. ISBN 1589799704.
Jump up ^ https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/gilligan%E2%80%99s-island-star-dawn-wells-embarrassed-but-flattered-after-gofundme-raises-dollar130k/ar-BBN1eiO
Jump up ^ http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/09/07/gilligans-island-star-dawn-wells-says-is-grateful-for-friends-and-fans-who-care-while-suffering-financially.html
Jump up ^ Wells, Dawn (2006). "Wishing Wells Collections". dawn-wells.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
^ Jump up to: a b "Idaho Film and Television Institute". idahofilminstitute.org. Archived from the original on April 6, 2006. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Peeling Idaho Potatoes". idahopotato.com. Idaho Potato Commission. 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Bob Denver website". bobdenver.com. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dawn Wells.
Official website
Dawn Wells on IMDb
Dawn Wells at the TCM Movie Database
Dawn Wells at AllMovie
Dawn Wells at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
show
v
t
e
Nevada pageant winners
Miss Nevada
Dawn Wells (1959)
Teresa Benitez (2002)
Cris Crotz (2010)
Miss Nevada USA
Katie Rees (2007)
Nia Sanchez (2014)
Miss Nevada Teen USA
Cerina Vincent (1996)
show
v
t
e
Gilligan's Island
Episodes
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Cast
Bob Denver
Alan Hale Jr.
Russell Johnson
Tina Louise
Dawn Wells
Jim Backus
Natalie Schafer
Characters
Gilligan
The Skipper
The Professor
Ginger Grant
Mary Ann Summers
Thurston Howell III
Lovey Howell
Spin-offs
The New Adventures of Gilligan
Rescue from Gilligan's Island
The Castaways on Gilligan's Island
The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Planet
Surviving Gilligan's Island
Related
Episodes
S. S. Minnow
The Adventures of Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island pinball machine
The Real Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Wake
Newton N. Minow (Vast Wasteland speech)
Authority control
WorldCat Identities
BNF: cb14238519d (data)
ISNI: 0000 0001 2275 6704
LCCN: n93078044
VIAF: 1684992
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dawn_Wells&oldid=858618661"
Categories:
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