Dawn Wells of Gilligan’s Island fame passed away yesterday from complications of Covid-19.
Forever remembered as Mary Ann the friendly, cheeky girl next door with ponytails, Wells was one of the last surviving members of the cast, the last now being Tina Louise who played Ginger.
Wells described herself as a “working actor” happily taking any role that came her way, breaking into the industry after winning the Nevada State Beauty Pageant in 1960.
Wells interestingly enough had studied chemistry and had considered genetic medicine before she decided to pursue a career as an actor.
Born in Reno Oct 18 1938, Wells got her screen debut in 1961 appearing in the TV series The Roaring Twenties. She continued to work on various series including 77 Sunset Strip, Surfside Six, Hawaiian Eye, Bonanza and Maverick before she auditioned and was cast in the role that was the define her, Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island.
Mary Ann was the epitome of the quintessential Midwestern all-American girl who loved to wear gingham blouses, dungarees, ponytails and bows in her hair. Mary Ann was a girl who worked on a farm, won a contest on a local radio station, a trip on the SS Minnow and the rest is TV history.
The series only lasted three years but there were numerous reunions and spinoff appearances over the years including Rescue from Gilligan’s Island, The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island and The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island.
Wells also went to appear as Mary Ann in episodes of Alf, Baywatch, Herman’s Head and Meego.
Wells also was a published author releasing a couple of books directly tied to her Gilligan’s Island fame, Mary Ann’s Gillian’s Island Cooking (1993) and What Would Mary Ann Do? A Guide to Life, a memoir (2014)
Outside of working on TV, Dawn Wells went on the support a number of charity-operated businesses including Terry Lee Wells Foundation, focusing on woman and children in Nevada, Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, the nation’s largest natural habitat refuge developed for African and Asian elephants. She also ran the Film Actors Boot Camp for years based in Idaho.
Dawn Wells also had a passion for theater and appeared in over 100 shows nationwide. These productions included Chapter Two, They’re Playing Our Song, Fatal Attraction, The Odd Couple, Steel Magnolias and The Vagina Monologues.
Her last onscreen appearance was in 2018 in an episode of Kaplan’s Korner, but she continued doing voiceover work as recently as last year voicing the dentist in the animated series The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants.
Tina Louise, the last surviving star of Gilligan’s Island released a statement last night, I will always remember Dawn’s kindness to me.
Wells married in 1962 to talent agent, Larry Rosen, they divorced in 1967, the same year Gilligan’s Island finished. The marriage resulted to no kids.
She is survived by her stepsister, Weslee Wells.
Dawn Wells was 82 years old.
Donations may be made to the Elephant Sanctuary, Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum or the Shambala Preserve.
