Celebrity Nooz: Dawn Wells

Dawn Wells (Actress) - Gilligan's Island

Updated: 11/27/19

Name: Dawn Wells

Birth Name: Dawn Elberta Wells

Born: October 18, 1938 in Reno, Nevada, USA

Nickname: Pooter

Claim To Fame: Dawn Wells is an American actress who is best known for her role as Mary Ann Summers on the CBS sitcom Gilligan's Island.

Family Life: Wells was married to Larry Rosen, a talent agent, from October 1962 until 1967 when they divorced.

Info: She received an Associate degree from Stephens College in Columbia, MO, and later a Bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in 1960.

Miss Nevada 1959; she participated in Miss America 1960.

Her father once owned the Las Vegas Thunderbird Hotel.

Is a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority.

In 2018, a GoFundMe page was set up to help Wells cope with financial trouble.

Trivia: She and Russell Johnson are best known for their roles on the series Gilligan's Island (1964), but they are also well known for being infamously referred to as "and the rest" in the series' original theme song. The phrase was later replaced by "the Professor and Mary Ann" after protests from the actors.

Credits Alan Hale Jr. as her favorite acting mentor/best friend.

Despite playing a supporting role to Tina Louise on Gilligan's Island (1964) (and to Bob Denver and Jim Backus), her character Mary Ann Summers was consistently the most popular among viewers, which also contributed to the tension between she and Louise.

Former President of the Idaho Film & Television Institute.

Auditioned for the role of Lois Lane in Superman (1978), but lost to Margot Kidder.

Was the only Gilligan's Island (1964) cast member to attend Alan Hale Jr.'s funeral in 1990.

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. In May 2016, Wells was named Marketing Ambassador to MeTV Network.

Where Are They Now: In 2019, Wells lent her voice to the character of Gumbalina Toothington on the Netflix animated series The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants.

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