Dawn Wells

Known for ActingBorn 1938-10-18Died 2020-12-30 Reno, Nevada, USA

A wholesome beauty with comedic appeal, Dawn Elberta Wells was born on October 18, 1938 in Reno, Nevada. Wells' childhood was a happy and healthy one. She and her mother grew their own fruits and vegetables in their gardens and Dawn rode horses. In her high school years, she was the class treasurer, President of the debate team and an honor roll student. Dawn was on her way to becoming a ballerina, but bad knees prevented her from realizing the dream. She was Miss Nevada in 1959 and went on to the 1960 Miss America Pageant. Dawn had wanted to be a doctor, and enrolled in the elite Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri to study medicine, but then she discovered the Drama Club. She then transferred to the University of Washington, which was known for their Theatre Department, and she graduated with a Degree in Theatre. Dawn moved to Hollywood and was cast as Mary Ann Summers on CBS's Gilligan's Island (1964). The rest is history. However, there was much more to Dawn than her simple Mary Ann character. Wells refused to be an unemployed actor after the show ended and was never out of work since the show decades ago. She performed in over 66 theatrical productions, including the National Touring Company of "They're Playing Our Song!" She did countless voice-overs, commercials and talk shows. She worked for the Australian news show "Midday" and interviewed such talents as Julia Roberts, Eddie Murphy and Tom Hanks, to name a few. Dawn has also had great success as a producer and has a number of television movies to her credit. After years of touring and performing in dramas, comedies, and musical theatre, Dawn slowed down a little. In 1998, she founded the Dawn Wells' Film Actors Boot Camp in Driggs, Idaho. The camp is for the already trained actor looking to make the transition from the amateur to the professional actor. Wells managed the camp for many years. She has been in a popular commercial for Western Union, capitalizing on her character Mary Ann Summers. In 2003, Dawn did tours of the plays "Love Letters" with Adam West and Eve Ensler's Award Winning "The Vagina Monologues." In early 2004, Dawn established and founded The Spud Film Institute in Idaho and Wyoming, and held the first ever Spud Drive in Film and Music Festival in the summer of 2004. She was also the artistic director of the festival. If that is not enough, Ms. Wells also had her own clothing line for the physically challenged called "Wishing Wells Collections" and she recently launched her own skin care line, Classic Beauty. Dawn Wells continued to contribute to the business she loved so much and constantly gave back to the acting community. She mentored young actors and traveled to colleges all across the United States to teach Master Classes. She served as Artist in Residence at several Universities. Dawn was in constant demand for personal appearances and speaking engagements, yet never forgot to give back to the Artistic community. She will surely be remembered for all her good work. Wells passed away on December 30, 2020 at age 82. You can get information about all of Dawn's organizations at her website, dawn-wells.com.Read more

Movies & web series

E! True Hollywood Story

Space Ghost Coast to Coast

The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants

Everglades

Hollywood Squares

ALF

87th Precinct

Celebrity Ghost Stories

Girlfriends

The Wild Wild West

Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three Hour Tour in History

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Bonanza

Gilligan's Island

Hagen

Vega$

Herman's Head

77 Sunset Strip

Roseanne

The Castaways on Gilligan's Island

Maverick

The Invaders

Vicki!

Growing Pains

Winterhawk

The Detectives

Laramie

Wagon Train

Matt Houston

The Love Boat

Surfside 6

Burke's Law

Gilligan's Planet

Super Sucker

The Gilligan Manifesto

Cheyenne

The Town That Dreaded Sundown

The Mike Douglas Show

High School U.S.A.

Lover's Knot

The F.B.I.

The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island

Hawaiian Eye

This Is Our Time

The New Interns

Rescue from Gilligan's Island

Return to Boggy Creek

The Rosie O'Donnell Show