Dawn Elberta Wells (1938 - 2020)

Born 18 Oct 1938 in Reno, Washoe, Nevada, United States

Ancestors

Died 30 Dec 2020 at age 82 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Dawn Wells is Notable.

Actress best known as "Mary Ann" on television series "Gilligan's Island"

“I’m deeper, smarter, more ambitious, funnier. I think if you meet me for 15 minutes, there is nothing you won’t know: what you see is what you get,” -- Dawn Wells, in an interview with Forbes^[1]

Dawn Elberta Wells was born in Reno, Nevada on 18 Oct 1938 to parents Joe Wesley Wells, a real estate developer, and Evelyn (Steinbrenner) Wells. She was an only child.^[2]

Early life

She attended Reno High School and 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.

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

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".

Reception

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

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 ran 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 has been a spokeswoman for Idaho Potatoes.

Charity

Wells continued 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.

Death

Dawn Wells died in a Los Angeles nursing home on 30 Dec 2020 at age 82.^[2] Her publicist Harlan Boll released a statement that she had passed from complications of COVID-19.^[1]

Filmography

• 1961: "The Everglades" ‒ as Piney
• 1961: "The Cheyenne Show" ‒ "Lone Patrol"; as Sarah Claypool
• 1961: "Maverick" ‒ "The Deadly Image"; as Caprice Rambeau
• 1962: "Bonanza" ‒ "The Way Station"; as Marty Johnson
• 1962: "It's a Man's World" ‒ 2 episodes; as Molly
• 1963: Palm Springs Weekend
• 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
• 2012: Hotel Arthritis
• 2016: "The Bold and the Beautiful"; one episode

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Actress Dawn Wells, castaway Mary Ann on TV's 'Gilligan's Island,' dies from COVID-19" on Reuters
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "Dawn Wells, Mary Ann on 'Gilligan's Island,' Dies at 82" in The New York Times

• Dawn Wells on Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
• Potempa, Phillip. "From the Farm: Leftover turkey perfect for 'Gilligan's Island' casserole". nwi.com. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
• Goldberg, Delen (January 12, 2012). "10 past Nevada pageant winners who have gained notoriety". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
• "Silent But Deadly: Film Review". HollywoodReporter.com. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
• "Kevin Cuneo: Mary Ann's still a sweetheart". GoErie.com - Erie, PA. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
• "The world according to Dawn Wells, a.k.a. 'Gilligan Island's' Mary Ann". Retrieved 17 April 2015.
• TV Guide Book of Lists. Running Press. 2007. p. 202. ISBN 0-7624-3007-9.
• "Dawn Wells Interview". gilligansisle.com. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
• "Mary Ann--More Like Mary Jane!!". TMZ. Time Warner. 2008-03-11. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
• "Mary Ann of 'Gilligan's Island' Caught With Marijuana in Car". Fox News. Fox Entertainment Group. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
• "It Wasn't Mary Ann's Mary Jane!". TMZ. Time Warner. 2008-03-12. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
• ""Gilligan's Island" Good Girl In Hot Water". CBS News. March 11, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
• "Statement of Facts from Dawn". Dawn Wells. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
• "'Gilligan's Island' star Dawn Wells won't be Girl Scouts speaker after arrest". Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group. March 14, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
• Gilligan's Dreams Archived March 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Dana Stevens at slate.msn.com, September 6, 2005
• Wells, Dawn (2006). "Wishing Wells Collections". dawn-wells.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
• "Idaho Film and Television Institute". idahofilminstitute.org. Archived from the original on April 6, 2006. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
• "Peeling Idaho Potatoes". idahopotato.com. Idaho Potato Commission. 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
• "Bob Denver website". bobdenver.com. Retrieved July 16
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 24 January 2021), memorial page for Dawn Wells (18 Oct 1938–30 Dec 2020), Find A Grave: Memorial #220386501, citing Mountain View Cemetery, Reno, Washoe County, Nevada, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave Burial Details Unknown.