Dawn Wells

Dawn Wells
Born	Dawn Elberta Wells October 18, 1938 (1938-10-18) (age 73) Reno, Nevada, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1961–present
Website
http://www.dawn-wells.com/

Dawn Elberta Wells (born October 18, 1938) is an American actress known for playing Mary Ann Summers on the sitcom Gilligan's Island during its run from 1964 until 1967.

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. She was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority.

In 1959, Wells was crowned Miss Nevada and represented her state in the 1960 Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.^[1]

Career

After moving to Hollywood, she began appearing in guest roles in such television series as 77 Sunset Strip, The Cheyenne Show on ABC, Maverick on ABC, and Bonanza on NBC, before taking on the role of Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island. She reprised her character in the various Gilligan's Island reunion specials, including three reunion movies Rescue from Gilligan's Island, The Castaways on Gilligan's Island and The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island. She also made guest appearances on The Roaring Twenties, Wagon Train, Tales of Wells Fargo, 87th Precinct, Surfside 6, Hawaiian Eye, It's a Man's World, Laramie. Burke's Law, The Invaders, The Wild Wild West, The F.B.I., Vega$, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, 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 film Winterhawk (1975), playing a Western settler kidnapped by a Native-American chief. Other films include The Town That Dreaded Sundown, Return to Boggy Creek, Lover's Knot, Soulmates, Forever For Now and Super Sucker. In the fall of 2011 she began filming Hotel Arthritis, a comedy horror film set for release in 2012.

Following Gilligan's Island, Wells embarked on a very successful theater career that is still going strong to this day. She has appeared in nearly 100 theatrical productions as of July 2009. She spent the majority of the 1970s and 1980s touring in musical theatre productions. She also had a one-woman show she performed at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in 1985.

In the 1990s, she became a spokesperson for Western Union, Cuisinart, Long John Silver's, Coca-Cola and 1800collect.

In 1993, Wells published Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook with co-writers Ken Beck & Jim Clark, including a foreword by Bob Denver.

In 2005, Wells consigned for sale her original gingham blouse and shorts ensemble from her signature role. A Beverly Hills auction house, Profiles in History, sold it for $20,700.^[1]

In 2008, Wells came to Los Angeles to join Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of Gilligan's Island for the celebration of Schwartz' entry into the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Personal life

She was married to Larry Rosen, a talent agent, from 1962 to 1967. The couple had no children. ^[2]

Wells spent summers in her early years in the Teton Valley of eastern Idaho, and relocated there in the 1990s.^[3] In Idaho, she runs a successful business, Wishing Wells Collections, making clothing for people with limited mobility.^[4] 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."^[5] She organized SpudFest, a regional annual family movie festival,^[5] and has been a spokesperson for Idaho Potatoes.^[6]

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.^[7]

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^[8] and was arrested by Idaho police. Wells plead guilty to one count of reckless driving, was fined and served six months' unsupervised probation.^[9] In a statement, Wells admitted swerving, saying she was reaching for her car heater controls.^[10] Wells lost a speaking engagement because of the incident.^[11] After the fact, she made light of the situation, saying "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-sing 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!"^[12]

Partial filmography

• The Everglades (1961) (part of Piney)
• The Cheyenne Show (1961) TV episode 102: "Lone Patrol" (Part of Sarah Claypool)
• Maverick (1961) TV episode 105: "The Deadly Image" (Part of Caprice Rambeau)
• Bonanza (1962) TV episode: "The Way Station" (part of Marty Johnson)
• Palm Springs Weekend (1963)
• The New Interns (1964)
• Gilligan's Island (1964–1967)
• Bonanza (1968) TV episode: "The Burning Sky" (part of Moon Holt)
• Winterhawk (1975)
• The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)
• Return to Boggy Creek (1977)
• Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978)
• The Castaways on Gilligan's Island (1979)
• High School U.S.A. (1983)
• ALF (1987) TV episode: "Somewhere Over the Rerun. aka. The Ballad of Gilligan's Island" (part of Mary Ann)
• The Princess and the Dwarf (1989)
• Soulmates (1992)
• Space Ghost Coast to Coast (1994) one episode: herself
• Lover's Knot (1996)
• Super Sucker (2002)
• Forever for Now (2004)
• Cyber Meltdown (2005)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Potempa, Phillip. "FROM the FARM: Leftover turkey perfect for 'Gilligan's Island' casserole". nwi.com. http://www.nwitimes.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/article_f512c6c2-3d70-529f-a708-f53b0a7945a5.html. Retrieved 9 July 2011. 
2. ^ "Dawn Wells Interview". GilligansIsle.com. http://www.gilligansisle.com/interdawn.html. Retrieved 2010-07-16. 
3. ^ Menser, Paul (April 2005). "Driggs plans film school". HeadWatersNews.org. Headwaters News: Idaho Falls Post Register (a project of the University of Montana). http://www.headwatersnews.org/pr.filmschool042805.html. Retrieved 2010-07-16. 
4. ^ Wells, Dawn (2006). "Wishing Wells Collections". dawn-wells.com. http://www.dawn-wells.com/Wishing_Wells/wishing_wells.html. Retrieved 2010-07-16. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Idaho Film and Television Institute site". IdahoFilmInstitute.org. Archived from the original on 2006-04-06. http://web.archive.org/web/20060406135618/http://www.idahofilminstitute.org/. Retrieved 2010-07-24. 
6. ^ "Peeling Idaho Potatoes". IdahoPotato.com. Idaho Potato Commission. 2010. http://www.idahopotato.com/video_player/id-17. Retrieved 2010-07-16. 
7. ^ "Bob Denver website". BobDenver.com. http://www.bobdenver.com/. Retrieved 2010-07-16. 
8. ^ http://www.tmz.com/2008/03/11/mary-ann-busted-with-mary-jane/#.TrCKut4UqSo
9. ^ ""Gilligan's Island" Good Girl In Hot Water". CBS News. March 11, 2008. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/11/entertainment/main3926937.shtml. Retrieved July 20, 2010. 
10. ^ "Statement of Facts from Dawn". Dawn Wells. http://www.dawn-wells.com/Statement_from_Dawn/statement_from_dawn.html. Retrieved July 20, 2010. 
11. ^ "'Gilligan's Island' star Dawn Wells won't be Girl Scouts speaker after arrest". Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group. March 14, 2008. http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/mar/14/dawn-wells-lecture-for-girl-scouts-canceled. Retrieved July 20, 2010. 
12. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0920171/bio

External links

• Official website
• Dawn Wells at the Internet Movie Database
• Dawn Wells at AllRovi

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Judy Wadsworth	Miss Nevada 1959	Succeeded by Nancy Bowen

Persondata
Name	Wells, Dawn
Alternative names	Wells, Dawn Elberta
Short description	Actress
Date of birth	1938-10-18
Place of birth	Reno, Nevada, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death