Dawn Wells

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Dawn Wells
Born	Dawn Elberta Wells October 18, 1938 (1938-10-18) (age 70) Reno, Nevada, United States
Occupation	actress

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

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Acting career 1.3 Personal life 1.3.1 Marijuana incidents 2 Partial filmography 3 Footnotes 4 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Wells attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, where she majored in chemistry. She later transferred to the University of Washington in Seattle, where she graduated in 1960 with a degree in theatre 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.

[edit] Acting career

After moving to Hollywood, she began appearing in guest roles in such television series as 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick, both on ABC, and Bonanza on NBC, before winning the role of Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island. She played the role for the duration of the series, from 1964 until 1967.

Wells starred with Michael Dante in the independent movie Winterhawk (1975), playing a Western settler kidnapped by a Native-American chief.

In the 1990s, she spoofed her character on a commercial for 1-800-COLLECT. She has also reprised her role in the various Gilligan's Island reunion specials, and on an episode of ALF.

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

According to Forbes Collector, in April 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.

[edit] Personal life

She was married to Larry Rosen (a talent agent) from 1962–1967.^[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. She is the founder of the Idaho Film and Television Institute.^[4] She also organized Spud Fest, a regional annual family movie festival, and has been a spokesperson for Idaho Potatos.

[edit] Marijuana incidents

In 1998, fellow Islander Bob Denver was arrested for having a parcel of marijuana delivered to his home. He originally said that the parcel had come from Dawn Wells but later refused to name her in court, and testified that "some crazy fan must have sent it".^[5]

Wells was arrested on October 18, 2007, after a Teton County sheriff's deputy pulled her over for swerving across the fog lines and center lines of State Highway 33 and repeatedly accelerating and slowing down. The officer noted the odor of marijuana, and a search of her vehicle produced several partially consumed marijuana cigarettes and several containers that contained marijuana. Wells was taken into custody after failing a field sobriety test.^[6] She denied that the marijuana was hers and was not convicted of marijuana possession. According to the Associated Press, she was sentenced on February 29, 2008, to five days in jail, fined $410.50, and placed on six months probation after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving.^[7]

[edit] Partial filmography

• The Roaring 20's (1961)
• Palm Springs Weekend (1963)
• The New Interns (1964)
• Gilligan's Island (1964-1967)
• 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)
• The Princess and the Dwarf (1989)
• Soulmates (1992)
• Lover's Knot (1996)
• Super Sucker (2002)
• Forever for Now (2004)
• Cyber Meltdown (2005)

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Wishing Wells Collections
• Dawn Wells at the Internet Movie Database
• Dawn Wells at TV.com

v • d • e Gilligan's Island List of episodes Cast Bob Denver (Gilligan) · Alan Hale Jr. (The Skipper) · Russell Johnson (The Professor) · Tina Louise (Ginger Grant) · Dawn Wells (Mary Ann) · Jim Backus (Thurston Howell, III) · Natalie Schafer (Lovey Howell) TV Movies Rescue from Gilligan's Island · The Castaways on Gilligan's Island · The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island Cartoons The New Adventures of Gilligan · Gilligan's Planet Other S. S. Minnow · The Adventures of Gilligan's Island (video game) · Gilligan's Island (pinball) · The Real Gilligan's Island · Gilligan's Wake Crew Sherwood Schwartz · Jack Arnold · William Froug · Gerald Fried · Richard Donner

Persondata
NAME	Wells, Dawn
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	American actress
DATE OF BIRTH	1938-10-18
PLACE OF BIRTH	Reno, Nevada, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH