Dawn Wells

Early life

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.

Career

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 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), 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." When he died on January 2, 1990, she was the only cast member to attend his memorial.

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. 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.

Gilligan's Island co-star Russell Johnson died on January 16, 2014, and Wells and Tina Louise were the only surviving cast members of the sitcom. In May 2016, Wells was named Marketing Ambassador to MeTV Network.

Reception

In 2005, TV Guide ranked Wells No. 50 on its "50 Sexiest Stars of All Time" list.

Personal life

She married Larry Rosen, a talent agent, in 1962. The couple had no children and were divorced in 1967.

Reckless driving incident

While driving home from her birthday party celebration on October 18, 2007, Wells was observed swerving across the roadway, was found in possession of marijuana and was arrested by Idaho police. A third party, who had been in possession of Wells' car that day and had left the joints behind, came forward and claimed full responsibility for the marijuana. Wells pleaded guilty to one count of reckless driving, was fined, and served six months' unsupervised probation.

In a statement, Wells admitted swerving, saying she was reaching for her car heater controls. Wells lost a speaking engagement because of the incident. Later, Wells said, "I think it is so hysterical that people went nuts over it. I am what, now, 102 years old? I get booked for the first time in my life and suddenly I am a drug-using bum? I have told people the facts, but facts don't interest people or the media. They only trust headlines. The only reason I even cared was because it negatively affected my film festival and film school, and my sponsors were concerned. If I did not own a not-for-profit school, I would be on Saturday Night Live making fun of it!"

Wells had previously been implicated in a previous marijuana incident in 1998, when fellow Gilligan cast member Bob Denver claimed she had sent him a box with the drug in it. Denver retracted the previous statement in court and claimed the box of marijuana was sent by "some crazy fan".

Humanitarian work

Wells used to run a business, Wishing Wells Collections, making clothing for people with limited mobility. She was 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." She organized SpudFest, a regional annual family movie festival, and was a spokeswoman for Idaho Potatoes.

Charity

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.