Dawn Wells, who became a megastar by playing the sexy Mary Ann on “Gilligan’s Island” has died.
Her rep says Dawn died from COVID Wednesday.
Wells was one of 2 surviving members of the cast … Tina Louise, who played Ginger on the show, is now the sole surviving cast member.
The show only ran 3 years — from 1964-1967, but it became a cultural phenomenon. The premise — Gilligan, the skipper et al hopped on a boat for a 3-hour tour — A THREE HOUR TOUR — and it became shipwrecked on a deserted island. The show was all about the hijinks of survival and the interaction with the hilarious characters, including Professor Roy and a very rich couple, Lovey and Thurston Howell III.
After ‘Gilligan’s’ Dawn appeared in various TV shows, including “The Wild Wild West” and “Bonanza.” In all, she appeared in more than 60 series … and also appeared on Broadway and in movies.
Dawn’s show biz career actually began with beauty pageants … she was crowd Miss Nevada in the 1959 Miss America pageant.
She established an institute for up-and-coming filmmakers in Idaho … it’s called the Spud Film Institute.
There was actually a big debate among fans of ‘Gilligan’s’ during the run of the show — namely, who’s sexier — the wholesome Mary Ann or the sultry movie star, Ginger.
Dawn was married once in the ’60s to Larry Rosen. They divorced after 5 years.
Dawn was 82.
RIP
