Born 1938 in Reno, Nevada, American actress Dawn Wells was crowned Miss Nevada and represented her state in the Miss America 1960 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She 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 The Joey Bishop Show, 77 Sunset Strip, Cheyenne, Maverick, and Bonanza.
Wells took her signature role of Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island in 1964. 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.
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. Her other films include The Town That Dreaded Sundown, Return to Boggy Creek, Lover’s Knot, Soulmates, Forever for Now, and Super Sucker.
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 theater productions.
Wells died from COVID-19-related causes in Los Angeles in 2020, at age 82 during the COVID-19 pandemic in California. The week prior to her death, she had a Happy New Year video prerecorded to be released on the holiday. Take a look at these vintage photos to see portraits of a young Dawn Wells in the 1960s.
As breath-taking as ever even in later years. By all accounts just as sweet too. Godspeed miss Wells.
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